Increasing long-term storage of carbon sequestered in Russian softwood logs through enhanced lumber recovery

The lumber manufacturing industry of the Russian Far East and Siberia was evaluated in order to determine potential improvements in lumber recovery and the corresponding enhancement of temporal carbon storage duration in lumber manufactured from trees harvested from the boreal forest (taiga) of the Russian Far East. The Khorsky DOK lumber mill (in the Russian Far East) was observed to recover approximately 68 percent lumber from cubic meter round log volume of Pinus koraiensis, cut to 22- and 50-mm-thick random-width boards. However, lumber that failed to meet merchantability standards accounted for as much as 34 percent in their 50-mm-thick lumber, and up to 71 percent in their 22-mm-thick lumber. Research demonstrated that better operator training and technological improvements could improve overall lumber recovery. Lumber recovery improvements were evaluated to ascertain long-term carbon storage impacts. Approximately 38.9 percent of the carbon stored in trees of the boreal forest is transferred into carbon stored in lumber manufactured at this mill complex in the Russian Far East. This carbon sequestration can be increased from 38.9 to 45. 6 percent, or more, with milling improvements to increase lumber recovery, thereby enhancing economic benefits to the manufacturer and simultaneously increasing long-term carbon storage in forest products destined for use in building construction.