Natural forests exhibit higher carbon sequestration and lower water consumption than planted forests in China

Zhen Yu; Shirong Liu; Xiaohua Wei; Jamie Schuler; Pengsen Sun; Richard Harper; Nicolas Zegre

doi:10.1111/gcb.14484

journal article Nov 06, 2018

Natural forests exhibit higher carbon sequestration and lower water consumption than planted forests in China

Zhen Yu

Shirong Liu

Xiaohua Wei

Jamie Schuler Pengsen Sun Richard Harper

Nicolas Zegre

Global Change Biology Vol. 25 No. 1 pp. 68-77 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/gcb.14484

Abstract

AbstractLarge‐scale planted forests (PF) have been given a higher priority in China for improving the environment and mitigating climate change relative to natural forests (NF). However, the ecological consequences of these PF on water resource security have been less considered in the national scale. Moreover, a critically needed comparison on key ecological effects between PF and NF under climate change has rarely been conducted. Here, we compare carbon sequestration and water consumption in PF and NF across China using combination of remote sensing and field inventory. We found that, on average, NF consumed 6.8% (37.5 mm per growing season) less water but sequestered 1.1% (12.5 g C m−2 growing season−1) more carbon than PF in the period of 2000–2012. While there was no significant difference in water consumption (p = 0.6) between PF and NF in energy‐limited areas (dryness index [DI] < 1), water consumption was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in PF than that in NF in water‐limited regions (DI > 1). Moreover, a distinct and larger shift of water yield was identified in PF than in NF from the 1980s to the 2000s, indicating that PF were more sensitive to climate change, leading to a higher water consumption when compared with NF. Our results suggest NF should be properly valued in terms of maximizing the benefits of carbon sequestration and water yield. Future forest plantation projects should be planned with caution, particularly in water‐limited regions where they might have less positive effect on carbon sequestration but lead to significant water yield reduction.

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Metrics

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Citations

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References

Details

Published: Nov 06, 2018
Vol/Issue: 25(1)
Pages: 68-77
License: View

Authors

Z

Zhen Yu

Division of Forestry and Natural Resources West Virginia University Morgantown West Virginia; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing China; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames Iowa

S

Shirong Liu

Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing China

X

Xiaohua Wei

Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences University of British Columbia Kelowna British Columbia Canada

J

Jamie Schuler

Division of Forestry and Natural Resources West Virginia University Morgantown West Virginia

P

Pengsen Sun

Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing China

R

Richard Harper

School of Veterinary and Life Sciences Murdoch University Murdoch WA Australia

N

Nicolas Zegre

Division of Forestry and Natural Resources West Virginia University Morgantown West Virginia

Funding

Ministry of Science and Technology Award: 2018YFC0507301

Cite This Article

Zhen Yu, Shirong Liu, Xiaohua Wei, et al. (2018). Natural forests exhibit higher carbon sequestration and lower water consumption than planted forests in China. Global Change Biology, 25(1), 68-77. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14484

Natural forests exhibit higher carbon sequestration and lower water consumption than planted forests in China

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