The integration of carbon captured by forest ecosystems into forest management planning models has become increasingly more important, particularly in the areas of climate change, land use, and sustainable forest management. The main objective of this work is to develop a multiple-use forest management planning model that focuses on the interactions of net carbon sequestration and timber production opportunities in a forest ecosystem including forest openings. The linear programming model is used to develop various forest management scenarios for a forest that yields timber and carbon objectives. The results of forest management planning scenarios showed that increased net carbon sequestration can be attained at a significant cost in terms of forgone timber harvest and financial returns. Results also showed that reforestation of forest openings and long-term protection of forest ecosystems provides high biomass and carbon storage over the planning horizon.
The paper presents the results of research on the genetic variability in the growth characteristics and plasticity of Polish provenances of Norway spruce, tested on thirty plots established in Europe and Canada in the IUFRO 1972 provenance experiment. Special consideration was devoted to the plots in Poland, especially in Knyszyn. The variability in the growth and quality characteristics of the provenances, found at experiment level, is high (within 6.099 standard deviation units). At provenance level, it ranges between 4.674 for Kartuzy and 2.192 for Rycerka Zwardoń. This indicates that the performance of the provenances depends much on environmental conditions. Although no provenance can be considered adaptable to any conditions thatmay occur in the cultivation of spruce, the Istebna Bukowiec and Zwierzyniec Lubelski provenances, having a very high breeding value and high plasticity, may be recommended for a wider use in reforestation.