Forest Management and Climate Change Mitigation: A Review on Carbon Cycle Flow Models for the Sustainability of Resources

Leonel J.R. Nunes, Catarina I.R. Meireles, Carlos J. Pinto Gomes and Nuno M.C. Almeida Ribeiro
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Leonel J.R. Nunes: ICAAM—Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Pólo da Mitra, Universidade de Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Catarina I.R. Meireles: ICAAM—Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Pólo da Mitra, Universidade de Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Carlos J. Pinto Gomes: ICAAM—Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Pólo da Mitra, Universidade de Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Nuno M.C. Almeida Ribeiro: ICAAM—Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Pólo da Mitra, Universidade de Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 19, 1-10

Abstract: With climate change being a certainty, which today is probably the biggest challenge humanity is facing, and also accepting that greenhouse gas emissions are the main cause accelerating climate change, there is an urgent need to find solutions that lead to the mitigation of the already intense, and in some cases, even violent, effects. Forests can most easily work as carbon sinks. However, it is convenient to analyze the residence time of this carbon in forests, as this residence time will depend on the type of forest management used. This paper aims to analyze forest management models from a perspective of carbon residence time in forests, dividing the models into three types: carbon conservation, carbon storage, and carbon substitution. Carbon conservation models are those models in which the amounts of carbon stored only replace the carbon released, mainly by the industrial use of raw materials. Carbon storage models are models that foster the growth of forest areas to ensure that the amount of carbon stored grows, and where the ratio clearly leans towards sequestration and storage. Carbon substitution models are models that move towards the substitution of fossil carbon by renewable carbon, thus contributing to the creation of a neutral flow.

Keywords: climate change; forest management; carbon flow models; carbon storage; carbon conservation; carbon substitution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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