Radiative forcing and forest climate policy

Abstract

This thesis is comprised of two manuscripts that relate to forest-based management strategies in the context of market-based climate change mitigation policies. The work questions the appropriateness of a singular focus on carbon sequestration given the albedo effect and its possible countervailing climatic impacts. Through a review of salient literature and via new examples, it is demonstrated that the concept of radiative forcing should instead be employed to express on a more consistent basis the relative climatic impacts of carbon sequestration and albedo. Specifically this work proposes that accounting frameworks measure the climatic benefits of any forest management activity in terms of "carbon equivalent." Chapter 1 introduces the albedo effect and briefly describes market-based policies and extant forest management strategies. Chapter 2 explores how landowner behavior may change under a tax/subsidy system based upon a "carbon equivalent" rather than a "carbon only" approach, and in addition investigates the possibility of managing explicitly for albedo. Chapter 3 considers instead a cap-and-trade system, examining how forest offset efficiency may be diminished because of the albedo effect, and offers policy guidance for offset design moving forward. Chapter 4 summarizes the results of these findings.