Recently, the benefits of forests and forest
products have been disputed, with the debate frequently centered on the
question of whether forest biomass is “carbon neutral.” In reality, this debate
hinges on the methods used to characterize the carbon and greenhouse gas
impacts associated with using forest biomass. NCASI is distributing Technical
Bulletin No. 1015, A Review of Biomass
Carbon Accounting Methods and Implications. This report explores the carbon
accounting questions at the heart of the debate about the benefits of using
forest-derived biomass.
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The
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service was recently petitioned to list the eastern
diamondback rattlesnake as a threatened or endangered species. As the Service
reviews the status of the eastern diamondback, NCASI is soliciting information
about observations of the snake to improve understanding of its distribution
and habitat associations.
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NCASI’s 2013 West Coast Regional Meeting
will be held October 1-2 in Vancouver, Washington. The meeting will include a full-day
forestry technical session on October 2.
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Participants in the
Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) must support research on sustainable
forestry topics and apply relevant scientific information in their forest
management activities. NCASI’s sustainable forestry research program is well
aligned with research topics identified in the SFI program. NCASI prepares
detailed documentation every year about how NCASI forestry program tasks are
addressing core indicators in the SFI program including the required research
topics.
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Questions and
concerns about intensive management practices designed to increase forest
productivity and the availability of feedstocks for traditional products and
energy markets have led states and other agencies and non-governmental
organizations to develop biomass harvesting guidelines that include provisions
for retaining specific proportions of harvest residues and restricting biomass
harvesting on some sites. Scientific justification for such provisions based on
long-term field studies is limited. The Fall River study is the longest-running
study of its kind for Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir. A recent paper published from
the study shows little impact of harvesting intensities beyond those used in
practice and of associated compaction on Douglas-fir growth over 10 years.
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