title: Monitoring Network Confirms Land Use Change is a Substantial Component of the Forest Carbon Sink in the eastern United States.
abstract: Quantifying forest carbon (C) stocks and stock change within a matrix of land use (LU) and LU change is a central component of large-scale forest C monitoring and reporting practices prescribed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Using a region-wide, repeated forest inventory, forest C stocks and stock change by pool were examined by LU categories. In eastern US forests, LU change is a substantial component of C sink strength (~37% of forest sink strength) only secondary to that of C accumulation in forests remaining forest where their comingling with other LUs does not substantially reduce sink strength. The strongest sinks of forest C were study areas not completely dominated by forests, even when there was some loss of forest to agriculture/settlement/other LUs. Long-term LU planning exercises and policy development that seeks to maintain and/or enhance regional C sinks should explicitly recognize the importance of maximizing non-forest to forest LU changes and not overlook management and conservation of forests located in landscapes not currently dominated by forests.
authors.affiliation: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, St. Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Woodall
authors.affiliation: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, St. Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.affiliation: USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Coulston
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Burlington, VT, USA.
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: D'Amato
authors.affiliation: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, St. Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Domke
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, Department of Forest Resources, St. Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.affiliation: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, St. Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sowers