Advanced estimation of carbon storage in deadwood

Background and Objective

The estimation of carbon storage in deadwood is an important element of the German greenhouse gas reporting of forests. Deadwood comprises standing as well as lying deadwood, dead roots, and tree stumps. Currently, there are some shortcomings in the reporting of deadwood regarding the completeness and level of detail.

Scientists from the Thuenen-Institute of Forest Ecosystems in Eberswalde are going to improve and advance the estimation of carbon storage in deadwood for the greenhouse gas reporting, and in a more general perspective enhances the knowledge on deadwood. The research activities are developing:
1) Methods and procedures for the survey and estimation of dead roots and dead stumps;
2) Conception, planning and implementation of field inventory;
3) Collocation of errors and error budgets;
4) Estimators and functions for dead wood biomass.
Additionally the project intends to improve the:
5) Calculation of wood densities and carbon contents;
6) Calculation, compilation and evaluation of dead wood inventory;
7) Integration of method and procedure in greenhouse gas reporting.

Approach

The working plan comprises of three modules, subdivided into corresponding working packages and steps. The first module is focusing on the elaboration of methods and the development of improved procedures. Within the second module all work regarding the dead wood survey in the field and the error budget is included. The calculation and compilation as well as evaluation and assessment of the dead wood inventory are part of module three. Finally the methods and procedures will be integrated in the greenhouse gas reporting. These new methods and procedures, the new calculation algorithms, and the dead wood inventory will be introduced and presented in a concluding workshop. Additionally, the results of the project will be published in  journals as well as on conferences.