Impact of the NSVB transition on local-to-regional AGB and carbon sequestration estimates

Ascertain how replacing the Component Ratio Method (CRM) with the National Scale Volume and Biomass Estimators (NSVB) changes local-to-regional estimates of forest aboveground biomass and carbon sequestration, accounting for spatial variation in species composition and elevation.

Background

Species-specific effects of the NSVB transition vary (e.g., large increases for some species like red spruce but decreases for others like yellow birch), and these species are distributed unevenly across regions such as New York State’s montane forests.

Consequently, while statewide totals may moderately increase, the localized impacts on AGB and carbon sequestration remain uncertain without detailed spatial analysis.