Climate Smart Forestry through Co-Producing Biochar and Wood Products

Increased forest fires and global warming present the urgent need to remove excessive biomass in the forest. Common practices, e.g., prescribed burning or mechanical thinning, result in direct carbon emissions through the combustion or decay of forest residues. Valorizing forest residues by converting them into bio-based products is a "win-win" solution to climate change and forest fires and supports the development of a sustainable bioeconomy. Biochar is a negative emission technology with broad applications in agriculture, energy, and water sectors. Many studies have used life cycle assessment to assess the climate and economic implications of forest residue to biochar pathways. However, previous research have mainly focused on biomass conversion systems without considering the impacts of forest dynamics and substantial variations in the composition, quality, and availability of forest residues, all of which are driven by climate and soil conditions and forest management strategies. As forest management of production forests often depends on products that the forest will supply timber or fiber, understanding the life cycle carbon implications of managing various forests to co-produce different wood products and biochar is critical to developing climate-smart forestry.

This study aims to address the knowledge gaps by developing a multi-scale life cycle modeling framework to quantify the product- and regional-level environmental implications of different forest management strategies for co-producing biochar and value-added wood products. Different regions (e.g., southeastern versus western US) and land types (e.g., existing production forests versus reforestation on marginal lands) are explored. Scenario analysis is used to investigate how different combinations of production portfolio, forest management strategies, forest dynamics, and geospatial factors affect systems-wide carbon balances, climate implications, and other environmental impacts (e.g., eutrophication). In addition, the talk will discuss the strategies to optimize forest resource management and utilization for maximum climate and environmental benefits.