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Carbon fractions in the world’s dead wood

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  • Adam R. Martin

    (University of Toronto Scarborough)

  • Grant M. Domke

    (Northern Research Station)

  • Mahendra Doraisami

    (University of Toronto Scarborough)

  • Sean C. Thomas

    (University of Toronto)

Abstract

A key uncertainty in quantifying dead wood carbon (C) stocks—which comprise ~8% of total forest C pools globally—is a lack of accurate dead wood C fractions (CFs) that are employed to convert dead woody biomass into C. Most C estimation protocols utilize a default dead wood CF of 50%, but live tree studies suggest this value is an over-estimate. Here, we compile and analyze a global database of dead wood CFs in trees, showing that dead wood CFs average 48.5% across forests, deviating significantly from 50%, and varying systematically among biomes, taxonomic divisions, tissue types, and decay classes. Utilizing data-driven dead wood CFs in tropical forests alone may correct systematic overestimates in dead wood C stocks of ~3.0 Pg C: an estimate approaching nearly the entire dead wood C pool in the temperate forest biome. We provide for the first time, robust empirical dead wood CFs to inform global forest C estimation.

Suggested Citation

  • Adam R. Martin & Grant M. Domke & Mahendra Doraisami & Sean C. Thomas, 2021. "Carbon fractions in the world’s dead wood," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-21149-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21149-9
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