A simple method for detailed carbon calculations in forest management—with examples for planted larch

Abstract Carbon sequestration is an important management objective in China’s plantation forests, which are the most extensive in the world. Planning of plantation management often employs simulators that use either tree- or stand-level models. The use of individual-tree models is increasing in Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China, as these models enable flexible analyses of different stand structures, species compositions, and cutting types. So far, management optimization with individual-tree simulators has considered only the carbon storage of living tree biomass. This study proposed a method for expanding the simulators to accommodate the carbon storage of dead organic materials (DOM) and wood products. A dead tree is transferred to the dead-tree list, and a cut tree is transferred to the harvested tree list. Each new dead tree is characterized by the biomass of stem, branches, foliage, and roots, and the annual decomposition rate of each biomass component. A harvested tree is partitioned into harvest residue and wood product components. A residue component obtains biomass and the annual decomposition rate, and a wood product component obtains biomass and the yearly product disposal rate. From these lists, the remaining biomass of any DOM or product category can be easily computed for any future year. The method can be used in any country. In the example analyses conducted for Chinese larch ( Larix gmelinii ) plantations, the live tree carbon stock accounted for 75–80% of the total carbon storage, and wood products accounted for a maximum of 10–12%. Increasing the importance of carbon storage decreased cutting and led to longer rotations. Maximizing carbon storage as the sole objective resulted in very low harvest and long rotations (> 200 years).