GHG displacement factors of harvested wood products: the myth of substitution

Leturcq, Philippe

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-77527-8

Cited by 62 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Evidently, the choice of which particular metal or plastic replaces a wooden table is highly dependent on assumptions. However, if wood use cannot guarantee that nonwood products associated with high GHG emissions are substituted, the GHG balance will deteriorate accordingly [33]. In contrast, the CSBF is an inherent part of wood production and must be considered in the LCA of wood products.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Missing Limb: Including Impacts of Biomass Extraction on Forest Carbon Stocks in GHG Balances of Wood Use

Fehrenbach¹,

Bischoff²,

Böttcher³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The global carbon neutrality challenge places a spotlight on forests as carbon sinks. However, greenhouse gas (GHG) balances of wood for material and energy use often reveal GHG emission savings in comparison with a non-wood reference. Is it thus better to increase wood production and use, or to conserve and expand the carbon stock in forests? GHG balances of wood products mostly ignore the dynamics of carbon storage in forests, which can be expressed as the carbon storage balance in forests (CSBF). For Germany, a CSBF of 0.25 to 1.15 t CO2/m³ wood can be assumed. When the CSBF is integrated into the GHG balance, GHG mitigation substantially deteriorates and wood products may even turn into a GHG source, e.g. in the case of energy wood. Here, building up the forest carbon sink would be the better option. We conclude that it is vital to include the CSBF in GHG balances of wood products if the wood is extracted from forests. Only then can GHG balances provide political decision-makers and stakeholders in the wood sector with a complete picture of GHG emissions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Missing Limb: Including Impacts of Biomass Extraction on Forest Carbon Stocks in GHG Balances of Wood Use

Fehrenbach¹,

Bischoff²,

Böttcher³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In general, substitution effects of wood products are a highly debated issue and there is currently no consistent basis for assessment. Some highlight the potentially strong climate mitigation effect of substitution (Leskinen et al, 2018; Sathre & O’Connor, 2010), while others argue the opposite (Harmon, 2019; Leturcq, 2020). In fact, it is claimed that the long‐term climate mitigation benefits from substitution may have been overestimated by two‐ to 100‐fold, for example, through the frequent assumption of keeping SFs constant over time and omitting “leakage effects” (Harmon, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, it is claimed that the long‐term climate mitigation benefits from substitution may have been overestimated by two‐ to 100‐fold, for example, through the frequent assumption of keeping SFs constant over time and omitting “leakage effects” (Harmon, 2019). In this context, the strongest climate mitigation effect for wood products may not be induced by increasing harvest levels (Leturcq, 2020). Irrespective of this, effective substitution should be focused on increasing wood application in the construction sector, but accounting for substitution credit will still only be valid if an “increase in wood product consumption implies verifiably a global reduction in non‐wood productions” (Leturcq, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, the strongest climate mitigation effect for wood products may not be induced by increasing harvest levels (Leturcq, 2020). Irrespective of this, effective substitution should be focused on increasing wood application in the construction sector, but accounting for substitution credit will still only be valid if an “increase in wood product consumption implies verifiably a global reduction in non‐wood productions” (Leturcq, 2020). Without policies ensuring the absence of “leakage effects,” substitution benefits from wood products can be limited (Harmon, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Time dynamic climate impacts of a eucalyptus pulp product: Life cycle assessment including biogenic carbon and substitution effects

et al. 2021

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The forest sector can play a pivotal role in mitigating climate warming by decreasing emissions to the atmosphere and increasing carbon removals. In an expanding bioeconomy, the pulp and paper industry provides opportunities for various low‐carbon wood products with promising substitution effects. However, assessing climate effects of wood product systems is complex and requires a holistic approach. The objective of this study was to advance time dynamic climate impact assessment of a bioeconomically promising wood product from a system perspective. For this purpose, a time dynamic life cycle assessment was conducted on a pulp‐based beverage carton. The assessment included fossil value chain emissions from cradle to grave, effects from biogenic carbon in a eucalyptus plantation, and credits from substitution. A polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle was considered for material substitution (MS) and differing marginal electricity and heat mixes for energy substitution. The results revealed dominating climate warming from value chain emissions and slight offsetting by biogenic carbon from standing biomass and soil organic carbon, and short‐term carbon storage in the beverage carton. MS and displacing marginal energy mixes transformed the climate warming into a substantial total cooling effect. However, substitution effects varied strongly in terms of substitution factors and temperature change with varying replacement rate of the beverage carton and different marginal energy mixes. A climate cooling range of −0.8 · 10−15 to −1.8 · 10−15 K per unit of beverage carton by 2050 was found, highlighting potential relevance for climate policy making. Thus, production and use of wood‐based beverage cartons over PET bottles can have climate cooling effects. Further assessments on alternative forestry systems (e.g., Nordic forests) are needed to identify the role of biogenic carbon in holistic climate assessments, with dynamic substitution effects included to increase the validity.

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“…While such concepts are useful in questioning the carbon neutrality of converting existing old-growth forests to forestry, they lack all general economic approaches and determining whether a "payback period" of old-growth conversion is long or not remains subjective. Furthermore, the concept of mitigating climate change by substituting fossil fuels with biofuels has been recently heavily criticized (see Leturcq 2020). We present a dynamic economic approach for land conversions.…”

Section: Economics Of Multifunctional Forestry In the Sámi People Homeland Region (Iii)mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the economics of continuous cover and rotation forestry

Parkatti¹

2021

Diss. For.

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This dissertation studies the stand-level economics of continuous cover and rotation forestry. The main method of this dissertation is economic-ecological optimization, where statisticalempirical size-structured ecological models are coupled with economic optimization models including fully flexible optimization between continuous cover and rotation forestry. The dissertation consists of a summary section and three original research articles. The first article compares the favourability of continuous cover forestry between pure Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands and studies the effects of ecological models on economically optimal solutions. The second article studies the economics of mixed-species stands with up to four tree species. The third article studies the economics of arctic forestry in the homeland region of the Sámi people using a model that simultaneously includes timber production, carbon storage, and negative externalities of forestry on reindeer husbandry.According to the results, the differences in continuous cover forestry favourability between tree species are largely dependent on both species-specific differences in natural regeneration and natural regeneration differences between ecological models. Under realistic economic parameters, our model specification yields the result that continuous cover forestry is optimal for Norway spruce in both single-and mixed-species stands. In contrast, Scots pine favours rotation forestry in both single-and mixed-species stands. Economic preferability of species mixture cannot be deducted from physical overyielding. In addition, we demonstrate that economically optimal continuous cover forestry avoids "high grading", i.e. selective harvesting that leads to a completely different and economically inferior outcome. Including the negative externalities of forestry on reindeer husbandry into the economic model favours continuous cover forestry in arctic Scots pine stands. A carbon price between €14-€20 tCO2 -1 is enough to imply that saving old-growth forests as carbon storages and reindeer pastures becomes optimal.

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GHG displacement factors of harvested wood products: the myth of substitution

Cited by 62 publications

References 42 publications

The Missing Limb: Including Impacts of Biomass Extraction on Forest Carbon Stocks in GHG Balances of Wood Use

The Missing Limb: Including Impacts of Biomass Extraction on Forest Carbon Stocks in GHG Balances of Wood Use

Time dynamic climate impacts of a eucalyptus pulp product: Life cycle assessment including biogenic carbon and substitution effects

On the economics of continuous cover and rotation forestry

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