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The Operational-Scale Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3)

How the CBM-CFS3 was Developed
Kull researcherIn 2002, the carbon accounting team at Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Forest Service, in partnership with the Canadian Model Forest Network (CMFN), responded to the forest industry’s need for an operational-scale carbon accounting tool.  The tool was needed to meet criteria and indicator reporting requirements of sustainable forest management, for forest certification, and to help managers understand how their actions affect the net carbon balance of their forest estate.

The goal of the partnership between the carbon accounting team of Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Forest Service and the CMFN was to develop a user-friendly operational-scale carbon accounting tool that would build on the science of the CBM-CFS2.  Over the course of the project, the carbon accounting team developed, tested, and delivered the tool, known as the CBM-CFS3.  Two model forests, the Lake Abitibi Model Forest and the Western Newfoundland Model Forest were selected as pilot sites for development and testing of the model. As development proceeded, other model forests and their partners from across Canada contributed to model development through the testing of a beta-version. A release version was made available free of charge to the forestry community in 2005, along with a user’s guide and tutorials.  The model, user’s guide and tutorials will be made available in both of Canada’s official languages.

What is the CBM-CFS3?
The CBM-CFS3 is an aspatial, stand- and landscape-level modeling framework to simulate the dynamics of all forest carbon stocks required under the Kyoto Protocol (aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, litter, dead wood and soil organic carbon).  It is compliant with the carbon estimation methods outlined in the IPCC Good Practice Guidance For Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (2003) report.

The model uses much the same information that is required for forest management planning (e.g., forest inventory, tree species, growth and yield curves, natural and human-induced disturbance information, forest harvest schedule and land-use change information), supplemented with information from national ecological parameter databases (see Figure 1).

figure 1 - data inputs
Figure 1.  Data inputs (green boxes) used by the CBM-CFS3. The model provides default values for volume to biomass conversion, litterfall and decomposition rates, and carbon transfers resulting from disturbance and land-use change events. (Figure taken from Kull et al. 2006.)


With this sophisticated but user-friendly software tool, users apply their own stand- or landscape-level forest management information to calculate carbon stocks and stock changes for the past (monitoring) or into the future (projection).  Users can also create, simulate and compare various forest management scenarios in order to assess impacts on carbon.

Tools in the model assist users with importing required data from common timber supply models such as Remsoft® Spatial Woodstock™, or from user-developed data files.

The model contains graphic user interfaces to help users prepare data, define scenarios, perform analyses, and examine results.
Although the model currently contains a set of default ecological parameters appropriate for Canada, these parameters can be modified by the user, allowing for potential application of the model in other countries.  Other languages could be added to the user interface in the future.

How CBM-CFS3 Results Can Be Used

As discussed in the preceding section, forest managers can create several projects for different forest management options and compare results in terms of carbon, to select the plan that best meets their objectives.  Users can also observe results of management actions in terms of carbon on individual stands in order to decide whether to apply those actions to their entire management area.  Editing capabilities within the CBM-CFS3 also permit users to modify ecological parameters and climate data in order to assess potential future changes to ecological conditions in their management areas. 

Total Annual Ecosystem Carbon Stocks for Forest X.

Results of analyses can be used for various types of forest ecosystem carbon reporting requirements.  In Canada, forest managers can use the model to report on forest carbon contributions to global cycles in order to comply with sustainable forest management guidelines.  CBM-CFS3 results may also be used to report on carbon in a similar way in order to earn forest certification (for example, certification under the Canadian Standards Association Sustainable Forest Management Program).

The CBM-CFS3 is the central model of Canada’s National Forest Carbon Monitoring, Accounting and Reporting System that is used for international reporting of the carbon balance of Canada’s managed forest (Kurz and Apps 2006).

Training Workshops

The CFS-CAT, in partnership with the CMFN, have conducted several CBM-CFS3 technical training workshops across Canada, training over 160 participants from over 10 countries. 

It is hoped that this transfer of technology and training will empower forest managers to assess the consequences of management activities on forest carbon stocks on their landscape.

Technology Transfer

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Frequently Asked Questions