IFM Timber Management: The Benefits of Extended Rotations
There are many opportunities to increase the carbon sequestration within your forest when considering an Improved Forest Management (IFM) carbon program. One way to do so is by extending the rotation of certain timber stands. A common misconception of extending rotations is that it means halting all harvesting, reducing wood fiber availability in the industrial wood market, and limiting income for landowners. This isn’t necessarily the case.
How Extended Rotations Work
Extended rotations in timber stands involve lengthening the time between final harvests, allowing forests to mature over a longer period than traditional or common management practices. By lengthening the rotation age, intermediate harvests become more numerous and more important. For example, taking an 80-year rotation on a pine plantation and changing it to 120 years will require additional thinning practices to occur within that 40-year window. These practices will provide wood fiber to the marketplace and revenue to the landowner, while providing a healthy and diverse older forest.
Long-Term Carbon Storage Potential
Mature forests are carbon storage powerhouses. As trees grow larger over time, they absorb and store more carbon. While younger forests sequester carbon at a faster rate, they are smaller and store less carbon overall. Extended rotations allow for the development of larger trees and more complex forest structures, maximizing the amount of carbon sequestered over time.
A Win-Win for Landowners and the Environment
The benefits go well beyond carbon storage. Extended rotations improve soil health, water retention, and habitats for the wildlife dependent on old growth.
An extended rotation scenario within your IFM project doesn’t necessarily have to be a no harvest scenario. As we move toward a more sustainable future, extended rotations could play a critical role in climate change mitigation, offering long-term environmental and economic benefits.
Interested in learning more about how extending rotations could positively impact your forest and carbon project? Contact us!