ALIGNED D1.2 Description of scientific methods (Task 1.2 Framework for foreground life cycle inventory of bio-based sectors - Dynamic carbon accounting)

Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 1 Work Package 1 – Shared modelling framework and learnings D1.2 – Description of scientific methods Task 1.2 – Foreground LCI Tutorial for dynamic carbon flux modelling of forest plantation Lead Contractor: AAU Author(s): Kıra Lancz, Karen Nørgaard Bollesen, Massimo Pizzol This document is a part of the ALIGNED project (grant no. 101059430) deliverable D1.2. It contains the description of, and instructions to use the Carbon Flux Model tool. Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 2 PROJECTS DETAILS Project title Aligning Life Cycle Assessment methods and biobased sectors for improved environmental performance. Project acronym ALIGNED Start / Duration 01/10/2022 – 36 months Type of Action RIA Website www.alignedproject.eu DELIVERABLE DETAILS Dissemination level Public Nature Report Due date (M) M18 (March/2024) Submission date 31/03/2024 DELIVERABLE CONTRIBUTORS Name Organisation Job title Deliverable leader Massimo Pizzol AAU Professor Contributing Author(s) Kíra Lancz, Karen Nørgaard Bollesen, Massimo Pizzol AAU Research Assistant, Research Assistant, Professor Reviewer(s) Maxim Tschulkow ANTW Post Doc Final review and quality approval Massimo Pizzol Dalia Stakenaite AAU AAU Professor DOCUMENT HISTORY Date Version Name Changes 28/08/2023 0.1 Tutorial for dynamic carbon flux modelling of forest plantation First draft 01/02/2024 0.2 Tutorial for dynamic carbon flux modelling of forest plantation Extensive rewrite due to changes in the described model and updated data 28/02/2024 1.0 Tutorial for dynamic carbon flux modelling of forest plantation Final revisions and formatting Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1. Executive summary ...................................................................................................................... 5 1.1. The output of the model ..................................................................................................... 5 1.2. Summary of actionable steps ........................................................................................... 6 3. Description of Carbon flux model ........................................................................................... 7 4. User manual of the Carbon flux model ................................................................................. 8 a. User input ...................................................................................................................................... 8 i. General Parameters for Specific Wood Type ............................................................ 8 ii. Thinning operations ........................................................................................................ 9 iii. Other sections..................................................................................................................... 9 iv. Time reference for GWP and GTP ........................................................................... 11 b. Calculation sheets ................................................................................................................... 11 c. Results sheets ........................................................................................................................... 11 5. Export to SimaPro-csv format .............................................................................................. 11 References ............................................................................................................................................... 14 List of Figures Figure 1 General Parameters, where the green cells are for user-input fields within the model ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 Figure 2 Example of thinning practice and operations fields ........................................... 10 Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 4 Acronyms and abbreviations ABBREVIATIONS Description LCA Life cycle assessment LCI Life cycle inventory LCIA Life Cycle Impact Assessment GWP Global Warming Potential GTP Global Temperature Potential BCEFs Biomass Conversion and Expansion Factor S1 Species 1 S2 Species 2 Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 5 1. Executive summary This tutorial serves as a tool for users seeking to simulate carbon flux modelling of a forest plantation based on the work by De Rosa et al., 2017. If more information regarding the carbon flux modelling is needed, refer to the following articles: De Rosa et al., 2018; and De Rosa et al., 2017. 1.1. The output of the model The Carbon Flux model generates a time-dependent carbon account, Global Warming Potential (GWP), and Global Temperature Potential (GTP) metrics, as well as the aggregated LCI of the production of wood from a user-specified plantation scenario. • The aggregated LCI contains several processes (e.g., round wood production, sawn wood production, disposal) that can be linked to a larger product system to perform an LCA, and accounts for the substitution of products from a short-rotation plantation. For example, the sawn wood process generated by the Carbon Flux model can be linked as an input in LCA software to a process that uses sawn wood as a material. This new sawn wood process includes the linkages to the round wood production and disposal, and the carbon flows associated with them. • To extract the data about dynamic carbon stock in the plantation(s) during the time horizon, refer to the “Calc_Balance_S1” and “Calc_Balance_S2” sheets, where the carbon uptake and emission flows are provided in yearly steps. • For data about the time-dependent GWP and GTP characterized climate impact metrics, refer to the “Calc_GWP” and “Calc_GTP” sheets, where the appropriate characterization factors are applied to the carbon stocks over the time horizon in yearly steps. The tutorial includes: • Description of the woody biomass data, in the "Dataset-overview-of-biomass.xlsx" file • Guidance to use the "LCA-carbonflux-emissions.xlsx" tool: This file contains the dynamic carbon flux model, including sheets for modelling inventories, selected biomass data, and a table format for exporting the LCI to LCA software. Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 6 1.2. Summary of actionable steps 1. (Optional) Add species/scenario to the biomass data sheet 2. Choose S1 from the drop-down list 3. (Optional) Enter thinning practice parameters 4. (Optional) Specify parameters of S2 5. Choose an appropriate Time Horizon (default: 100 years) 6. (Optional) Adjust calculation parameters to the specific case 7. See foreground LCI for aggregated results 8. (Optional) Export LCI to brightway2 and/or SimaPro The following tutorial provides detailed instructions and explanations for these steps. Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 7 2. Description of the biomass data Cf. file ALIGNED-T1.2-dataset-overview-of-biomass.xlsx in the T1.2 repository This database is a compilation of specific data points related to various types of trees, sourced from reputable references that are cited within the file. The file consists of three separate sheets: • "ReadMe," • "Dataset Overview”, • "Global Data” The "ReadMe" sheet provides a description of the data contained in the file, including the description of all headings and columns. The “Dataset overview” sheet contains all references, and documentation of all assumptions and generalizations, allowing users to trace the original source of each data point. The "Global Data" sheet contains a table with all relevant data points necessary to set up the calculations in the Carbon Flux model for several species and locations, and some additional, supporting data that is used for assigning correct or appropriate values for the necessary parameters. Where species and location-specific information was not available, data gaps were filled by using assumptions, averages, and blanket categories. For example, the data related to the "share of above ground slashes and woody debris harvested" have limited data points due to lack of accessible credible sources, and such is assumed to be the same across all species. Similarly, where reported "Rotation Time" data was not found, 100-120 years (Johannsen 2019), or 60-70 years (Johannsen 2019) were applied for the angiosperm and gymnosperm clades respectively, based on the default values from an early version of the dataset. A similar approach was applied to the “Biomass Annual Increment” and “Carbon factor”, and “BCEFs” data columns as well. All assumptions are recorded in the “Dataset Overview” sheet; refer to that to decide whether the data is accurate enough for the desired modelling scenario. 3. Description of Carbon flux model Cf. file: ALIGNED-T1.2-LCA-Carbon-Flux-model.xlsx in the T1.2 repository ) The file ALIGNED-T1.2-LCA-Carbon-Flux-model.xlsx in the T1.2 repository serves as the primary tool for performing the dynamic forest carbon flux calculations, such as modelling biomass growth, woody decomposition, and obtaining mass balance growth, annual inventory of CO2 fluxes, environmental impact from sawmilling, dynamic Global Warming Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 8 Potential (GWP) factors, and dynamic Global Temperature Potential (GTP) factors. Additionally, the tool provides a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) in both volume and weight-based units, and an LCI table that is compatible with conversion methods into SimaPro-csv or Brightway2-dictionary formats for performing LCIA calculations. This tool enables users to obtain indicative insights into the production of forest biomass. Disclaimer: it should be noted that the model has not been validated for all species and plantation types that can be modelled using the database. Validation with third-party information (real world measurements, results from other models, literature data) is recommended. Within the ALIGNED-LCA-Carbon-Flux-model-AAU.xlsx file, the sheet titled “Biomass data” contains a copy of the “Global data” sheet of the ALIGNED-dataset-overview-of-biomassAAU.xlsx file. This serves as input data for the model. 4. User manual of the Carbon flux model Cf. file: ALIGNED-T1.2-LCA-Carbon-Flux-model.xlsx in the T1.2 repository) a. User input The "Input Parameters" sheet comprises of seven sections. Within these sections, certain cells are highlighted in green, serving as user-input fields, while the remaining white cells are automatically calculated based on the input in the green cells. i. General Parameters for Specific Wood Type The "General Parameters for Specific Wood Type" section (Figure 1) allows for the inclusion of data for two distinct types of species. “S1” denotes the main species, while “S2” denotes a substituted species to account for the effect of by-products of the system. For the primary species (S1), the user can choose the “Wood type” from the drop-down list in the first row of the “Value S1” column and enter a desired Time Horizon (100 years is the default option). The table then automatically fill in the rest of the general parameters for that configuration, referring to the data in the “Biomass data” sheet. If the desired species (or location) is not available in the drop-down list, the user may choose the “_default (Spruce)” option, which fills in the fields with the original data from De Rosa et al., 2017. Alternatively, the user may choose to: a) create a new data line in the “Biomass data” sheet. If the new line is inserted before the “_Default (Spruce) ()” entry, the data validation field in the “Input parameters” must be expanded to include the new information. b) replace the functions in the relevant fields of the “General Parameters[…]” with specific data for their scenario. In this case, the links between this field and the “Biomass data” table will be broken, which does not affect the calculation processes or the results but prevents future automatic “load-in” of biomass data. Horizon Europe grant agreement N° 101059430. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 9 ii. Thinning operations The "Thinning Operations" section (Figure 2) is automatically updated based on the rotation time and a generalized thinning practice. The tool assumes by default that plantations under 30 years undergo one, plantations under 70 years undergo two, and plantations with a longer rotation time undergo three thinning operations, with 30%, 20%, and 10% intensity progressively. This is recorded in the “S1 Thinning practice” section of the input sheet. If a different thinning practice is to be modelled, the user has two options: a) The “S1 Thinning practice” section may be adjusted by changing the thinning ages or intensities. In this case, the formula in the “Species 1 Thinning operations” section (column J) should be checked and expanded if needed. b) Manually override the “Thin. Intensity” in the “Species 1 Thinning operations” section (column J) It is important to note that the model records the thinning intensity as a share of the total growing biomass volume. If the user wishes to specify a different thinning intensity, it should be checked whether their thinning intensity data is recorded as share of basal area, relative stand density, or share of biomass volume, and necessary adjustments should be made. The secondary species (S2) can be also configured by the user for their specific scenario. S2 is intended to be modelled as a short-rotation species, such as the default example of Eucalyptus. As the model is designed to simulate a relationship between the two plantations in which by-products of the S1 timber production substitute the output of the S2 plantation, it is important that S2 is a non-timber producing plantation without co-products. A species that is likely to be substituted by the S1 should be used. iii. Other sections Other sections on this sheet (e.g., “Switch 1”, “Switch 2”, etc.) are pre-filled with the recommended default settings. However, users may replace these values them with their specific case's information. It is recommended that the user refer to the original work by De Rosa et al. (2017) before performing changes to green cells in sections other than the “General parameters”, “Thinning operations”, and the “Thinning practice”. Ensuring an understanding of the model and its implications is crucial prior to making any changes. Figure 1 and Figure 2 depict the input parameters for S1 and S2: