Impact of Forest Management on Future Forest Carbon Storage in Alaska Coastal Forests

Abstract:

The forest in Coastal Alaska are unique in many ways. Two groups of forest types occur in the Alaska region: boreal and temperate rain forests. About eighty-eight percent of these forests are in public ownership. High proportations of reserved forests and old-growth forests make the forests in coastal Alaska differ from that in other coastal regions. This study is focused on how forest management actions may impact the future carbon stocks and flux in coastal Alaska forests. The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data collected by US Forest Service are the primary data used for estimation of current carbon storage and projections of future forest carbon storage for all forest carbon pools in Alaska coastal forests under different management scenarios and climate change effect.