Aboveground forest biomass varies across continents, ecological zones and successional stages: Refined IPCC default values for tropical and subtropical forests

Danaë M A Rozendaal; Daniela Requena Suarez; Veronique De Sy; Valerio Avitabile; Sarah Carter; C Y Adou Yao; Esteban Alvarez-Davila; Kristina Anderson-Teixeira; Alejandro Araujo-Murakami; Luzmila Arroyo; Benjamin Barca; Timothy R Baker; Luca Birigazzi; Frans Bongers; Anne Branthomme; Roel J W Brienen; João M B Carreiras; Roberto Cazzolla Gatti; Susan C Cook-Patton; Mathieu Decuyper; Ben Devries; Andres B Espejo; Ted R Feldpausch; Julian Fox; Javier G P Gamarra; Bronson W Griscom; Nancy Harris; Bruno Hérault; Eurídice N Honorio Coronado; Inge Jonckheere; Eric Konan; Sara M Leavitt; Simon L Lewis; Jeremy A Lindsell; Justin Kassi N'Dja; Anny Estelle N'Guessan; Beatriz Marimon; Edward T A Mitchard; Abel Monteagudo; Alexandra Morel; Anssi Pekkarinen; Oliver L Phillips; Lourens Poorter; Lan Qie; Ervan Rutishauser; Casey M Ryan; Maurizio Santoro; Dos Santos Silayo; Plinio Sist; J W Ferry Slik; Bonaventure Sonké; Martin J P Sullivan; Gaia Vaglio Laurin; Emilio Vilanova; Maria M H Wang; Eliakimu Zahabu; Martin Herold

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac45b3

Aboveground forest biomass varies across continents, ecological zones and successional stages: Refined IPCC default values for tropical and subtropical forests

Danaë M A Rozendaal (Lead / Corresponding author), Daniela Requena Suarez, Veronique De Sy, Valerio Avitabile, Sarah Carter, C Y Adou Yao, Esteban Alvarez-Davila, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Luzmila Arroyo, Benjamin Barca, Timothy R Baker, Luca Birigazzi, Frans Bongers, Anne Branthomme, Roel J W Brienen, João M B Carreiras, Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, Susan C Cook-Patton, Mathieu DecuyperBen Devries, Andres B Espejo, Ted R Feldpausch, Julian Fox, Javier G P Gamarra, Bronson W Griscom, Nancy Harris, Bruno Hérault, Eurídice N Honorio Coronado, Inge Jonckheere, Eric Konan, Sara M Leavitt, Simon L Lewis, Jeremy A Lindsell, Justin Kassi N'Dja, Anny Estelle N'Guessan, Beatriz Marimon, Edward T A Mitchard, Abel Monteagudo, Alexandra Morel, Anssi Pekkarinen, Oliver L Phillips, Lourens Poorter, Lan Qie, Ervan Rutishauser, Casey M Ryan, Maurizio Santoro, Dos Santos Silayo, Plinio Sist, J W Ferry Slik, Bonaventure Sonké, Martin J P Sullivan, Gaia Vaglio Laurin, Emilio Vilanova, Maria M H Wang, Eliakimu Zahabu, Martin Herold

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Abstract

For monitoring and reporting forest carbon stocks and fluxes, many countries in the tropics and subtropics rely on default values of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories. Default IPCC forest AGB values originated from 2006, and are relatively crude estimates of average values per continent and ecological zone. The 2006 default values were based on limited plot data available at the time, methods for their derivation were not fully clear, and no distinction between successional stages was made. As part of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for GHG Inventories, we updated the default AGB values for tropical and subtropical forests based on AGB data from >25 000 plots in natural forests and a global AGB map where no plot data were available. We calculated refined AGB default values per continent, ecological zone, and successional stage, and provided a measure of uncertainty. AGB in tropical and subtropical forests varies by an order of magnitude across continents, ecological zones, and successional stage. Our refined default values generally reflect the climatic gradients in the tropics, with more AGB in wetter areas. AGB is generally higher in old-growth than in secondary forests, and higher in older secondary (regrowth >20 years old and degraded/logged forests) than in young secondary forests (20 years old). While refined default values for tropical old-growth forest are largely similar to the previous 2006 default values, the new default values are 4.0-7.7-fold lower for young secondary forests. Thus, the refined values will strongly alter estimated carbon stocks and fluxes, and emphasize the critical importance of old-growth forest conservation. We provide a reproducible approach to facilitate future refinements and encourage targeted efforts to establish permanent plots in areas with data gaps.

Original language	English
Article number	014047
Number of pages	15
Journal	Environmental Research Letters
Volume	17
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac45b3
Publication status	Published - 10 Jan 2022

Keywords

aboveground biomass
forest plots
IPCC
monitoring
secondary and old-growth forests
tropical and subtropical forests

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
General Environmental Science
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1088/1748-9326/ac45b3Licence: CC BY

Final published versionFinal published version, 1.9 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

Rozendaal, D. M. A., Requena Suarez, D., De Sy, V., Avitabile, V., Carter, S., Adou Yao, C. Y., Alvarez-Davila, E., Anderson-Teixeira, K., Araujo-Murakami, A., Arroyo, L., Barca, B., Baker, T. R., Birigazzi, L., Bongers, F., Branthomme, A., Brienen, R. J. W., Carreiras, J. M. B., Cazzolla Gatti, R., Cook-Patton, S. C., ... Herold, M. (2022). Aboveground forest biomass varies across continents, ecological zones and successional stages: Refined IPCC default values for tropical and subtropical forests. Environmental Research Letters, 17(1), Article 014047. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac45b3

@article{026dd6ba4cdb4845ae5619835ebff14b,

title = "Aboveground forest biomass varies across continents, ecological zones and successional stages: Refined IPCC default values for tropical and subtropical forests",

abstract = "For monitoring and reporting forest carbon stocks and fluxes, many countries in the tropics and subtropics rely on default values of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories. Default IPCC forest AGB values originated from 2006, and are relatively crude estimates of average values per continent and ecological zone. The 2006 default values were based on limited plot data available at the time, methods for their derivation were not fully clear, and no distinction between successional stages was made. As part of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for GHG Inventories, we updated the default AGB values for tropical and subtropical forests based on AGB data from >25 000 plots in natural forests and a global AGB map where no plot data were available. We calculated refined AGB default values per continent, ecological zone, and successional stage, and provided a measure of uncertainty. AGB in tropical and subtropical forests varies by an order of magnitude across continents, ecological zones, and successional stage. Our refined default values generally reflect the climatic gradients in the tropics, with more AGB in wetter areas. AGB is generally higher in old-growth than in secondary forests, and higher in older secondary (regrowth >20 years old and degraded/logged forests) than in young secondary forests (20 years old). While refined default values for tropical old-growth forest are largely similar to the previous 2006 default values, the new default values are 4.0-7.7-fold lower for young secondary forests. Thus, the refined values will strongly alter estimated carbon stocks and fluxes, and emphasize the critical importance of old-growth forest conservation. We provide a reproducible approach to facilitate future refinements and encourage targeted efforts to establish permanent plots in areas with data gaps.",

keywords = "aboveground biomass, forest plots, IPCC, monitoring, secondary and old-growth forests, tropical and subtropical forests",

author = "Rozendaal, {Dana{\"e} M A} and {Requena Suarez}, Daniela and {De Sy}, Veronique and Valerio Avitabile and Sarah Carter and {Adou Yao}, {C Y} and Esteban Alvarez-Davila and Kristina Anderson-Teixeira and Alejandro Araujo-Murakami and Luzmila Arroyo and Benjamin Barca and Baker, {Timothy R} and Luca Birigazzi and Frans Bongers and Anne Branthomme and Brienen, {Roel J W} and Carreiras, {Jo{\~a}o M B} and {Cazzolla Gatti}, Roberto and Cook-Patton, {Susan C} and Mathieu Decuyper and Ben Devries and Espejo, {Andres B} and Feldpausch, {Ted R} and Julian Fox and {G P Gamarra}, Javier and Griscom, {Bronson W} and Nancy Harris and Bruno H{\'e}rault and {Honorio Coronado}, {Eur{\'i}dice N} and Inge Jonckheere and Eric Konan and Leavitt, {Sara M} and Lewis, {Simon L} and Lindsell, {Jeremy A} and N'Dja, {Justin Kassi} and N'Guessan, {Anny Estelle} and Beatriz Marimon and Mitchard, {Edward T A} and Abel Monteagudo and Alexandra Morel and Anssi Pekkarinen and Phillips, {Oliver L} and Lourens Poorter and Lan Qie and Ervan Rutishauser and Ryan, {Casey M} and Maurizio Santoro and Silayo, {Dos Santos} and Plinio Sist and Slik, {J W Ferry} and Bonaventure Sonk{\'e} and Sullivan, {Martin J P} and {Vaglio Laurin}, Gaia and Emilio Vilanova and Wang, {Maria M H} and Eliakimu Zahabu and Martin Herold",

note = "Funding Information: We acknowledge funding from the following organizations: Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI); International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German; Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB); CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (CRP‐FTA) with financial support from the CGIAR Fund Donors; EU Horizon 2020 project VERIFY (776810); European Space Agency GlobBiomass project (ESRIN Contract No. 4000113100/14/I-NB); European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants T-FORCES (291585) and PANTROP (834775); JAXA (RA-6, EO-RA2); UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC; including NE/F005806/, NE/D005590/1, NE/T01279X/1, NE/P008755/1 and NE/N012542/1); agreement PR140015 between NERC and the National Centre for Earth Observation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; CNPq (National Council of Science and Technology, Brazil), Grants #401279/2014‐4 (PVE) and #441244/2016‐5 (PELD); Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; the Children's Investment 309 Fund Foundation; COmON Foundation and Good Energies Foundation. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.",

year = "2022",

month = jan,

day = "10",

doi = "10.1088/1748-9326/ac45b3",

language = "English",

volume = "17",

journal = "Environmental Research Letters",

issn = "1748-9318",

publisher = "IOP Publishing",

number = "1",

}

Rozendaal, DMA, Requena Suarez, D, De Sy, V, Avitabile, V, Carter, S, Adou Yao, CY, Alvarez-Davila, E, Anderson-Teixeira, K, Araujo-Murakami, A, Arroyo, L, Barca, B, Baker, TR, Birigazzi, L, Bongers, F, Branthomme, A, Brienen, RJW, Carreiras, JMB, Cazzolla Gatti, R, Cook-Patton, SC, Decuyper, M, Devries, B, Espejo, AB, Feldpausch, TR, Fox, J, G P Gamarra, J, Griscom, BW, Harris, N, Hérault, B, Honorio Coronado, EN, Jonckheere, I, Konan, E, Leavitt, SM, Lewis, SL, Lindsell, JA, N'Dja, JK, N'Guessan, AE, Marimon, B, Mitchard, ETA, Monteagudo, A, Morel, A, Pekkarinen, A, Phillips, OL, Poorter, L, Qie, L, Rutishauser, E, Ryan, CM, Santoro, M, Silayo, DS, Sist, P, Slik, JWF, Sonké, B, Sullivan, MJP, Vaglio Laurin, G, Vilanova, E, Wang, MMH, Zahabu, E & Herold, M 2022, 'Aboveground forest biomass varies across continents, ecological zones and successional stages: Refined IPCC default values for tropical and subtropical forests', Environmental Research Letters, vol. 17, no. 1, 014047. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac45b3

Aboveground forest biomass varies across continents, ecological zones and successional stages: Refined IPCC default values for tropical and subtropical forests. / Rozendaal, Danaë M A (Lead / Corresponding author); Requena Suarez, Daniela; De Sy, Veronique et al.
In: Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 17, No. 1, 014047, 10.01.2022.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Aboveground forest biomass varies across continents, ecological zones and successional stages

T2 - Refined IPCC default values for tropical and subtropical forests

AU - Rozendaal, Danaë M A

AU - Requena Suarez, Daniela

AU - De Sy, Veronique

AU - Avitabile, Valerio

AU - Carter, Sarah

AU - Adou Yao, C Y

AU - Alvarez-Davila, Esteban

AU - Anderson-Teixeira, Kristina

AU - Araujo-Murakami, Alejandro

AU - Arroyo, Luzmila

AU - Barca, Benjamin

AU - Baker, Timothy R

AU - Birigazzi, Luca

AU - Bongers, Frans

AU - Branthomme, Anne

AU - Brienen, Roel J W

AU - Carreiras, João M B

AU - Cazzolla Gatti, Roberto

AU - Cook-Patton, Susan C

AU - Decuyper, Mathieu

AU - Devries, Ben

AU - Espejo, Andres B

AU - Feldpausch, Ted R

AU - Fox, Julian

AU - G P Gamarra, Javier

AU - Griscom, Bronson W

AU - Harris, Nancy

AU - Hérault, Bruno

AU - Honorio Coronado, Eurídice N

AU - Jonckheere, Inge

AU - Konan, Eric

AU - Leavitt, Sara M

AU - Lewis, Simon L

AU - Lindsell, Jeremy A

AU - N'Dja, Justin Kassi

AU - N'Guessan, Anny Estelle

AU - Marimon, Beatriz

AU - Mitchard, Edward T A

AU - Monteagudo, Abel

AU - Morel, Alexandra

AU - Pekkarinen, Anssi

AU - Phillips, Oliver L

AU - Poorter, Lourens

AU - Qie, Lan

AU - Rutishauser, Ervan

AU - Ryan, Casey M

AU - Santoro, Maurizio

AU - Silayo, Dos Santos

AU - Sist, Plinio

AU - Slik, J W Ferry

AU - Sonké, Bonaventure

AU - Sullivan, Martin J P

AU - Vaglio Laurin, Gaia

AU - Vilanova, Emilio

AU - Wang, Maria M H

AU - Zahabu, Eliakimu

AU - Herold, Martin

N1 - Funding Information: We acknowledge funding from the following organizations: Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad); Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI); International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German; Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB); CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (CRP‐FTA) with financial support from the CGIAR Fund Donors; EU Horizon 2020 project VERIFY (776810); European Space Agency GlobBiomass project (ESRIN Contract No. 4000113100/14/I-NB); European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants T-FORCES (291585) and PANTROP (834775); JAXA (RA-6, EO-RA2); UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC; including NE/F005806/, NE/D005590/1, NE/T01279X/1, NE/P008755/1 and NE/N012542/1); agreement PR140015 between NERC and the National Centre for Earth Observation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; CNPq (National Council of Science and Technology, Brazil), Grants #401279/2014‐4 (PVE) and #441244/2016‐5 (PELD); Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; the Children's Investment 309 Fund Foundation; COmON Foundation and Good Energies Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

PY - 2022/1/10

Y1 - 2022/1/10

N2 - For monitoring and reporting forest carbon stocks and fluxes, many countries in the tropics and subtropics rely on default values of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories. Default IPCC forest AGB values originated from 2006, and are relatively crude estimates of average values per continent and ecological zone. The 2006 default values were based on limited plot data available at the time, methods for their derivation were not fully clear, and no distinction between successional stages was made. As part of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for GHG Inventories, we updated the default AGB values for tropical and subtropical forests based on AGB data from >25 000 plots in natural forests and a global AGB map where no plot data were available. We calculated refined AGB default values per continent, ecological zone, and successional stage, and provided a measure of uncertainty. AGB in tropical and subtropical forests varies by an order of magnitude across continents, ecological zones, and successional stage. Our refined default values generally reflect the climatic gradients in the tropics, with more AGB in wetter areas. AGB is generally higher in old-growth than in secondary forests, and higher in older secondary (regrowth >20 years old and degraded/logged forests) than in young secondary forests (20 years old). While refined default values for tropical old-growth forest are largely similar to the previous 2006 default values, the new default values are 4.0-7.7-fold lower for young secondary forests. Thus, the refined values will strongly alter estimated carbon stocks and fluxes, and emphasize the critical importance of old-growth forest conservation. We provide a reproducible approach to facilitate future refinements and encourage targeted efforts to establish permanent plots in areas with data gaps.

AB - For monitoring and reporting forest carbon stocks and fluxes, many countries in the tropics and subtropics rely on default values of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories. Default IPCC forest AGB values originated from 2006, and are relatively crude estimates of average values per continent and ecological zone. The 2006 default values were based on limited plot data available at the time, methods for their derivation were not fully clear, and no distinction between successional stages was made. As part of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for GHG Inventories, we updated the default AGB values for tropical and subtropical forests based on AGB data from >25 000 plots in natural forests and a global AGB map where no plot data were available. We calculated refined AGB default values per continent, ecological zone, and successional stage, and provided a measure of uncertainty. AGB in tropical and subtropical forests varies by an order of magnitude across continents, ecological zones, and successional stage. Our refined default values generally reflect the climatic gradients in the tropics, with more AGB in wetter areas. AGB is generally higher in old-growth than in secondary forests, and higher in older secondary (regrowth >20 years old and degraded/logged forests) than in young secondary forests (20 years old). While refined default values for tropical old-growth forest are largely similar to the previous 2006 default values, the new default values are 4.0-7.7-fold lower for young secondary forests. Thus, the refined values will strongly alter estimated carbon stocks and fluxes, and emphasize the critical importance of old-growth forest conservation. We provide a reproducible approach to facilitate future refinements and encourage targeted efforts to establish permanent plots in areas with data gaps.

KW - aboveground biomass

KW - forest plots

KW - IPCC

KW - monitoring

KW - secondary and old-growth forests

KW - tropical and subtropical forests

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123802064&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1088/1748-9326/ac45b3

DO - 10.1088/1748-9326/ac45b3

M3 - Letter

AN - SCOPUS:85123802064

SN - 1748-9318

VL - 17

JO - Environmental Research Letters

JF - Environmental Research Letters

IS - 1

M1 - 014047

ER -

Aboveground forest biomass varies across continents, ecological zones and successional stages: Refined IPCC default values for tropical and subtropical forests

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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