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Science to Commerce: A Commercial-Scale Protocol for Carbon Trading Applied to a 28-Year Record of Forest Carbon Monitoring at the Harvard Forest

Author

Listed:
  • Nahuel Bautista

    (Planetary Emissions Management Inc., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA)

  • Bruno D. V. Marino

    (Executive Management, Planetary Emissions Management Inc., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA)

  • J. William Munger

    (Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA)

Abstract

Forest carbon sequestration offset protocols have been employed for more than 20 years with limited success in slowing deforestation and increasing forest carbon trading volume. Direct measurement of forest carbon flux improves quantification for trading but has not been applied to forest carbon research projects with more than 600 site installations worldwide. In this study, we apply carbon accounting methods, scaling hours to decades to 28-years of scientific CO 2 eddy covariance data for the Harvard Forest (US-Ha1), located in central Massachusetts, USA and establishing commercial carbon trading protocols and applications for similar sites. We illustrate and explain transactions of high-frequency direct measurement for CO 2 net ecosystem exchange (NEE, gC m −2 year −1 ) that track and monetize ecosystem carbon dynamics in contrast to approaches that rely on forest mensuration and growth models. NEE, based on eddy covariance methodology, quantifies loss of CO 2 by ecosystem respiration accounted for as an unavoidable debit to net carbon sequestration. Retrospective analysis of the US-Ha1 NEE times series including carbon pricing, interval analysis, and ton-year exit accounting and revenue scenarios inform entrepreneur, investor, and landowner forest carbon commercialization strategies. CO 2 efflux accounts for ~45% of the US-Ha1 NEE, an error of ~466% if excluded; however, the decades-old coupled human and natural system remains a financially viable net carbon sink. We introduce isoflux NEE for t 13 C 16 O 2 and t 12 C 18 O 16 O to directly partition and quantify daytime ecosystem respiration and photosynthesis, creating new soil carbon commerce applications and derivative products in contrast to undifferentiated bulk soil carbon pool approaches. Eddy covariance NEE methods harmonize and standardize carbon commerce across diverse forest applications including, a New England, USA regional eddy covariance network, the Paris Agreement, and related climate mitigation platforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Nahuel Bautista & Bruno D. V. Marino & J. William Munger, 2021. "Science to Commerce: A Commercial-Scale Protocol for Carbon Trading Applied to a 28-Year Record of Forest Carbon Monitoring at the Harvard Forest," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:2:p:163-:d:494524
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dragicevic, Arnaud & Lobianco, Antonello & Leblois, Antoine, 2016. "Forest planning and productivity-risk trade-off through the Markowitz mean-variance model," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 25-34.
    2. R. Wehr & J. W. Munger & J. B. McManus & D. D. Nelson & M. S. Zahniser & E. A. Davidson & S. C. Wofsy & S. R. Saleska, 2016. "Seasonality of temperate forest photosynthesis and daytime respiration," Nature, Nature, vol. 534(7609), pages 680-683, June.
    3. Richard G. Newell & William A. Pizer & Daniel Raimi, 2013. "Carbon Markets 15 Years after Kyoto: Lessons Learned, New Challenges," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 27(1), pages 123-146, Winter.
    4. Rohan Best & Paul J. Burke & Frank Jotzo, 2020. "Carbon Pricing Efficacy: Cross-Country Evidence," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(1), pages 69-94, September.
    5. Philip Fearnside & Daniel Lashof & Pedro Moura-Costa, 2000. "Accounting for time in Mitigating Global Warming through land-use change and forestry," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 239-270, September.
    6. Kerchner, Charles D. & Keeton, William S., 2015. "California's regulatory forest carbon market: Viability for northeast landowners," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 70-81.
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    Cited by:

    1. Bruno D. V. Marino & Nahuel Bautista & Brandt Rousseaux, 2021. "Howland Forest, ME, USA: Multi-Gas Flux (CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O) Social Cost Product Underscores Limited Carbon Proxies," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Jun Zhou & Silas W. Bollen & Eric M. Roy & David Y. Hollinger & Ting Wang & John T. Lee & Daniel Obrist, 2023. "Comparing ecosystem gaseous elemental mercury fluxes over a deciduous and coniferous forest," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.

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