Development of FIA Capacity to Monitor Carbon for Carbon Management

There has been growing interest from both public and private forest managers in the inclusion of carbon considerations in management decisions. Satellite imagery from the Landsat series of satellites, when combined with systematic forest inventory data, has the potential to provide information about current distributions of forest carbon. When time series of satellite data are considered, losses and subsequent re-growth of forest carbon associated with historical harvests may be estimated. Since estimates are locally specific, they may be combined with data about mill locations and timber flows to derive estimates of the fossil carbon released in the harvest and transport process. They may also be combined with timber product output data to estimate how and for how long carbon removed through individual harvests may be sequestered. A pilot project is currently underway to combine satellite, inventory, utilization, and timber product data to provide a comprehensive view of the carbon dynamics associated with historic harvests and fires in a large area in Montana and Idaho. This project will also provide a realistic framework from which to predict the impacts of potential future management activities.