Ontario's Large-Scale Forest Carbon Project

Contacts: Steve Colombo, Michael Ter-Mikaelian, and Jiaxin Chen

Forests have a role to play in mitigating the effects of climate change, as they can store large amounts of carbon in plants and soil. But little is known about how much carbon is stored in Ontario’s managed forests and how forest management affects the release or absorption of greenhouse gases.

As a result, researchers have developed a carbon budget model for Ontario (FORCARB-ON) and are using it to determine the current and future forest carbon balance in Ontario’s managed forest using provincial forest resources inventory data and information about planned forest management activities.

This research will help the Ontario government more accurately account for carbon stored in Ontario’s forests at a range of scales, depending on what management practices are used.

Want to read more?

• The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Large-Scale Forest Carbon Project: A Summary
• The Effects of Forest Management on Carbon Storage in Ontario’s Forests
• Carbon Storage in Ontario's Forests, 2000-2100
• Ontario’s Forests and Forestry in a Changing Climate

Scientific journal articles (to obtain these articles, e-mail OFRI; please specify whether you prefer paper or PDF):

• Future Carbon Storage in Harvested Wood Products From Ontario’s Crown Forests
• Fact and Fantasy About Forest Carbon