Overview:

Carbon is essential to all organic molecules. It is used in energy flow, the structural foundations of cells, and almost every other function of a living organism. In forest ecosystems, more then half of carbon fixed by photosynthesis is released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, with the rest being fixed in wood(Fisher & Binkely 2000). The cycle for evergreen forests may be longer due to the longer residence time of evergreen leaves. In general, carbon spends little time within a tree unless it is locked up as wood fibers. Forest systems including trees and soil turn over almost all carbon between 2 and 100 years, with most of the carbon rapidly turning over while small pools are locked up for centuries(Fisher & Binkely 2000).

Analysis:

no analysis available

Indicators:

26. Total forest ecosystem biomass and carbon pool, and if appropriate, by forest type, age class, and successional stage
27. Contribution of forest ecosystems to the total global carbon budget, including absorption and release of carbon
28. Contribution of forest products to the global carbon budget