Planetary climate goals include reducing greenhouse gas CO2 emissions 80% by 2050. Besides conservation and investment in new green design and technologies, the Kyoto Protocol established a global carbon trading market called cap and trade. Under mandatory systems, each year, businesses bid or trade on a decreasing number of permits to emit CO2, making carbon emisions progressively more costly and thus reducing them. There are also voluntary markets where busineses can buy carbon offsets to neutralize their CO2 emissions. Carbon sequestration projects such as reforestation, can earn carbon offsets. Bamboo plantations sequester vast amounts of carbon and should qualify for carbon offsets.
Bamboo Carbon
Sequestration
Short 1:20 minute video summarizing carbon sequestration by bamboo forests and plantations.
Bamboo is an ancient grass, a woody plant. There are 60 to 90 genera of bamboo with over 1,200 species. Bamboo is mostly distributed in tropical and subtropical zones between 46 North and 47 south latitude in Asia, Africa and America. The most widely known features of bamboo are its fast growth, adaptability, resilience and substantial biomass production. Bamboo is also an environmentally friendly plant and net carbon sink, producing 35% more oxygen than wood.
It is estimated that bamboo occupies over one percent of the tropical and subtropical forest area - over 22 million hectares. Over 80% of the total area covered by bamboo is located in Asia, 10% in Africa and 10% in America. About 30% of bamboo may be classified as forest plantations vs 3.8% of wood plantations. According to the FAO/INBAR global thematic study, over 63% of bamboo resources are privately owned with 36% bamboo owned by governmental entities. In comparison 80% of all world forests are on public lands.
Bamboo is one of the most productive and fastest growing plants on the planet. The fastest-growing species may grow up to 1.2 meters a day. The unique growing capacity makes bamboo a valuable sink for carbon storage. Below ground bamboo biomass makes up 25-50% of the total stock. Carbon content comprises usually about 50% of the total biomass.
Bamboo has several advantages over tree species in terms of sustainability and carbon fixing capacity. Available studies conclude that bamboo biomass and carbon production may be 7-30% higher compared to the fast growing wood species. (See data footnotes below.)
The rotation cycle of bamboo should be considered when comparing it to woody crops. Bamboo will be harvested annually (say 20% of the growing stock) and will continue producing new culms throughout its life. Every five years the carbon sequestered on one hectare will be the same and this productivity of bamboo will not be reflected in living biomass. After 30-40 years (at the age of teak or eucalyptus harvesting) the bamboo’s biomass will still be as high as it was at 5-8 years old.
Besides higher biomass, bamboo has other advantages over wood as a carbon stock. Unlike woody crops bamboo offers the possibility of annual selective harvesting and removal of about 15-20% of the total stock without damaging the environment and productivity. Over 90% of bamboo carbon can be sequestered in durable products such as boards, panels, floors, furniture, buildings, cloth, paper and activated charcoal. These products have a long life span and may retain carbon for decades.
If continuing sequestration in durable products is added to the total carbon sequestration figure, the productivity of bamboo should enable it to reach and exceed long term sequestration levels of the best tree species for carbon sequestration.
Carbon Trading and Credits
Bamboo can play a significant role in linking climate change mitigation to sustainable economic development in the developing world. Carbon credits may trigger creation of otherwise marginal bamboo plantations for processing, jobs and wealth generation.
Interest in carbon trading under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol has blossomed since 2004. The first carbon trade forestry projects under the Kyoto Protocol are expected in 2008. Although no projects have been developed for bamboo so far, it does qualify for the forest carbon credits. Bamboo is a part of the world’s forests and forest industries.
Bamboo can meet current requirements for CDM forestry projects such as forest definition, socio-economic and environmental criteria for sustainability, cost benefit analysis, CO2 models, monitoring methodology and accounting. Many different types of CDM projects could be developed using bamboo, ranging from ecological conservation to cottage and large scale industrial projects. FAO, INBAR and other partners should take the initiative to develop such projects in the next few years.
Tropical Bambusa bambos has been measured at a total above ground biomass 287 t/ha with a mean annual production of around 47.8 t/ha/yr, almost twice that of the Eucalyptus clones. Interestingly, the total biomass of mature Bambusa at 6 years is in fact higher than that of teak at 40 years: 149 t C/ha versus only 126 t C/ha for teak.
Sub-tropical moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) reaches above ground biomass of 137.9 t/ha and is generally harvested at 5-8 years intervals. Every 5 years it would produce at least 86 t/ha biomass and sequester 43 t/ C/ha, almost twice as much as a teak plantation under the same conditions. This includes total biomass as well as products.
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