Private Forest Landowner GHG
Mitigation in the Southeast:
Where is the Carbon?
Christopher S. Galik
Brian C. Murray
Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University
D. Evan Mercer
United States Forest Service, Southern Research Station
2012 Southern Forest Economics Workshop Annual Meeting
Charlotte, NC; March 20- 21
Presentation Outline
• Background – Supply of Carbon in the South
• Methods – Linking NWOS and FIA datasets
• Results – Where is the Carbon?
• Conclusion – A Few Insights into Program Design
Supply of Carbon
– Forest management South-wide potential
Derived from Murray et al. (2005)
Supply of Carbon
– Potential barriers to participation
Galik et al. (under review)
Methods – combining NWOS and FIA datasets
1. Link NWOS data on private landowner
demographics and behavior with FIA data
on forest conditions and management;
2. Covers thirteen Southern states (AL, AR, FL,
GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA);
3. Carbon estimates were compiled using state
FIA data tables from FIA DataMart;
Methods – combining NWOS and FIA datasets
4. For each NWOS plot, compiled aboveground
and belowground carbon totals, summing
across conditions for each plot to yield
carbon totals for each plot and condition;
5. C values multiplied by the amount of land
held by each landowner and the proportion
of plot in each condition to yield estimates
of stored carbon for each landowner record.
So Where is the Carbon?
- Step One: Landowner size
So Where is the Carbon?
- Step Two+: Management Attributes
So Where is the Carbon?
- Step Three: Forest Condition
Conclusions
• Small landowners make up a significant proportion
of sample but a small proportion of total carbon;
•Analysis appears to support availability of significant
amounts of forest carbon in the Southeast; and
• Delivered tons will be affected strongly by market
conditions and program design.
Questions?
christopher.galik@duke.edu
919.681.7193
Selected References:
Galik, C.S., D.M. Cooley, and J.S. Baker (under review). Assessing production and
transaction costs of U.S. forest carbon offset projects.
Murray, B. C., Sohngen, B. L., Sommer, A. J., Depro, B. M., Jones, K. M., McCarl, B. A.,
et al. (2005). Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential in U.S. Forestry and Agriculture.
EPA-R-05-00. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of
Atmospheric Programs.