Section 3.5

    CO₂ Removal from Dead Organic Matter (DOM)

    As shown in the overall equation, one of the components contributing to CO₂ removal is Dead Organic Matter (DOM). Dead wood pools contain carbon in coarse woody debris, dead coarse roots, standing dead trees, and other dead material not included in the litter or soil carbon pools. These materials capture and store carbon that was initially absorbed from the atmosphere during the growth of the plants. Over time, as this organic matter decomposes, it continues to play a role in carbon cycling within the ecosystem. The corresponding equation for calculating the CO₂ removal from DOM is as follows:

    CO2 by DOM (tCO2/year)=(Change Carbon Input−Change Carbon Decay)×C to CO2 factor\text{CO}_2\text{ by DOM}\ (t\text{CO}_2/\text{year}) = (\text{Change Carbon Input} - \text{Change Carbon Decay}) \times \text{C to CO}_2\text{ factor}
    (3.5)

    Estimating the size and dynamics of the dead wood pool poses many practical limitations, particularly related to field measurements. According to the IPCC 2006, the uncertainties associated with estimates of the rate of transfer from the DW pool to the litter and soil pools, and emissions to the atmosphere are generally high. The amount of dead wood is highly variable between stands, both in managed and unmanaged lands. Amounts of dead wood depend on the time since last disturbance, the type of the last disturbance, losses during disturbances, the amount of biomass input (mortality) at the time of the disturbance, natural mortality rates, decay rates, and management.

    To overcome this practical difficulty, Carbontribe adopts a conservative approach and assumes no net changes in carbon stock within DOM pools, as the straightforward input-output equations employed in these methods are inadequate for reflecting the dynamics of DOM pools.
    CO₂ Removal from Below-ground Biomass (BGB)CO₂ Removal from Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)