Economic impacts of individual climate change mitigation options in the U.S. forest sector

Abstract

Economic and carbon (C) impacts of 3 greenhouse gas nutigation options in the U.S. forest sector are presented and compared to a baseline. Options analyzed include 2 levels of large-scale tree planting on marginal crop and pasture land, and increasing the use of recycled paper in the paper making process. The scenarios differ in the timing and magnitude of their economic impacts, and in their effects on C storage. All 3 options increase forest area and/or inventones, and have significant benefits toward increasing the sequestration of C. The economlc condition of forest product consumers and producers are little affected by the options. However, decreases In t~m b e r prices caused by the increases in wood supplies have severe negative impacts on forest landowners. Actions which could moderate the adverse economic impacts of these C conservation and sequestrat~on scenarios are discussed. ' The following units are used in this paper. One petagranl (Pg) equals one billion (10" metric tons. One teragram (Tg) equals one million (106) metric tons. One megagram (Mg) equals one metric ton

Forest economics research at the Pacific Northwest Research Station, to 2000.

“…All options would increase carbon storage while driving down stumpage prices and increasing the supply of commercially available timber, which would adversely affect forest owners. 236 In 1994 Haynes, Alig, and Moore brought to the carbon matter the combined TAMM-ATLAS model (termed in some quarters TAMM90). The Environmental Protection Agency had asked about forest and market impacts of several carbon dioxide-related scenarios: expanded fuelwood use, increased recycling, tree planting, and habitat-preserving harvest reductions.…”