• Weiskittel, Aaron
  University of Maine
  

Developing strategies for increasing carbon (C) storage in forests is one of the foremost  challenges facing natural resource professionals today. However, knowledge regarding the impacts of  alternative management strategies on C cycling in many forest types remains imperfect. The goal of  this study was to evaluate total ecosystem and harvested wood product C stocks among alternative  forest management strategies (selection cutting, shelterwood cutting, commercial clearcutting, and  no management) in mixed-species stands in central Maine, USA. These strategies were initiated in  the 1950s and have been maintained since, and ecosystem C pools were measured in 2012. When compared across managed treatments, the commercial clearcut had the lowest total ecosystem C stocks by 21%, on average (P < 0.05), while the selection and shelterwood treatments had similar total ecosystem C stocks.