RESEARCH SEMINAR by Prof. William S. Keeton (U.S.A)
‘Towards a unified theory of forest carbon management’ Friday Dec. 10, 3.30 ‐ 4.30 PM Geo‐Institute, Room 01.267 Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee On December 10, Prof. William Keeton from the University of Vermont will visit the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U.Leuven in the framework of the BELSPO‐project 'Forest transitions in mountain areas (FOMO)'. Prof. Keeton is an authority in the field of forest carbon dynamics and management.
Abstract: Emerging science is exploring strategies for enhancing and maintaining forest carbon sinks as part of climate change mitigation efforts. Yet the scientific community is divided when it comes to the question of which forest management strategies are most effective at increasing carbon sequestration and storage over baseline levels. Are carbon management strategies mutually exclusive? Prof. Keeton will argue they are not. In fact, they are potentially complimentary if employed within a broader framework of ecosystem management, so long as net carbon storage increases and net emissions decrease. Within the near term scientific research may converge on a unified set of recommendations through improved carbon accounting and modeling.
Bio: William Keeton is an Associate Professor of Forest Ecology and Forestry at the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. At UVM he is Chair of the Forestry Program and directs the Carbon Dynamics Laboratory and the Vermont Forest Ecosystem Management Demonstration Project. For more information, please see: www.uvm.edu/envnr/wkeeton More information: steven.vanonckelen@ees.kuleuven.be