Effects of increased wood energy consumption on carbon storage in forests of the United States

Large but feasible increases that have been projected for the production of wood energy in the United States can be expected to significantly alter the current carbon storage patterns in US forest vegetation. The 1976 net wood increment left after forest cutting equals about 136 × 10⁶ tons of carbon/year, with about 60% of the increment found in merchantable trees, and the remainder in nonmerchantable components.Achieving 5–10 quads of wood energy beyond 1976 levels by the year 2010 can significantly change current carbon storage patterns with the magnitude of change dependent on the extent of residue harvest to meet energy goals, and the rate of future forest growth. Complete loss of the apparent net wood increment is a possible outcome.Although the future growth and harvest situation cannot be known now, a range of possible scenarios suggests that US forests in the year 2010 will store much less carbon than today, thus significantly changing their role in the global carbon cycle.