Carbon footprint of teak plantation management in Thailand using life cycle analysis
Article Sidebar
Abstract Views: 103
File Views: 84
Main Article Content
Abstract
Abstract. Intim N, Duangjai W, Diloksumpun S, Kaakkurivaara T, Kaakkurivaara N. 2026. Carbon footprint of teak plantation management in Thailand using life cycle analysis. Asian J For 10 (1): r100129. https://doi.org/10.13057/asianjfor/r100129. Greenhouse (GHG) emissions from forest management operations are increasingly scrutinized in the context of climate change mitigation. This study aimed to quantify the carbon footprint of a full rotation teak (Tectona grandis) plantation, identifying key direct emission sources in silviculture and harvesting. This study assessed the carbon footprint of teak plantation management in the Mae-Moh Forest Plantation, Lampang Province, Thailand, using a life-cycle emission assessment over a 30-year rotation period. The system boundary covered plantation management activities from site preparation and planting to thinning and final harvesting, following a cradle-to-log-yard framework. Carbon dioxide emissions were calculated using activity data collected during 2023-2024 and emission factors provided by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization. The analysis consisted of two major components: silvicultural practices and harvesting operations. The life-cycle emissions of carbon dioxide from silvicultural practices were estimated at 1,726.5 kg CO₂eq ha-1, with annual firebreak construction accounting for 1,176.0 kg CO₂eq ha-1, followed by fertilizer application accounting for 338.0 kg CO₂eq ha-1. The first year of establishment generated the highest emissions owing to the implementation of all silvicultural activities. Harvesting operations resulted in 14.2 kg CO₂eq/m³ in final felling, with short distance transportation identified as the largest contributor (5.3 kg CO₂eq/m³). When aggregated over the entire rotation, the total operational carbon footprint was 4,633.4 kg CO₂eq ha-¹, with harvesting operations accounting for 62.7% of emissions and silvicultural practices 37.3%. The highest annual emissions occurred during the first thinning at year 15. These results indicate that harvesting logistics, machinery efficiency, and fertilizer management are key drivers of emissions in teak plantation management. Improving equipment efficiency, optimizing nutrient management based on soil conditions, and adopting integrated fertilizer strategies could substantially reduce the carbon footprint of plantation forestry operations.
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Allman M, Jankovský M, Bobrík V, Dudáková Z. 2025. Operational efficiency and environmental impacts: A study on cut-to-length logging in the Carpathian Forests. Front For Glob Change 8: 1567136. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2025.1567136.
Anttila P, Nummelin T, Väätäinen K, Laitila J, Ala-Ilomäki J, Kilpeläinen A. 2022. Effect of vehicle properties and driving environment on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of timber trucking based on data from the fleet management system. Transp Res Interdiscip Perspect 15: 100671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2022.100671.
Anttila P, Ojala J, Palander T, Väätäinen K. 2023. The effect of road characteristics on timber truck driving speed and fuel consumption based on visual interpretation of road database and data from the fleet management system. Silva Fenn 56 (4): 10798. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10798.
Asigbaase M, Annan M, Adusu D, Abugre S, Nsor CA, Kumi S, Acheamfour AS. 2024. Teak-soil interaction: Teak (Tectona grandis) plantations impact and are impacted by soil properties and fertility in Southwestern Ghana. Appl Environ Soil Sci 2024: 7931830. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/7931830.
Borz SA, Kaakkurivaara T, Forkuo GO, Kaakkurivaara N. 2025. Activity recognition in motor-manual cross-cutting operations by machine learning on multimodal data. For Sci Technol 22 (1): 26-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/21580103.2025.2543281.
Chayaporn P, Sasaki N, Venkatappa M, Abe I. 2021. Assessment of the overall carbon storage in a teak plantation in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand: Implications for carbon-based incentives. Clean Environ Syst 2: 100023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cesys.2021.100023.
Diao J, Liu J, Zhu Z, Wei X, Li M. 2022. Active forest management accelerates carbon storage in plantation forests in Lishui, Southern China. For Ecosyst 9: 100004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2022.100004.
Eker M, Çoban HO. 2021. A simple example on life cycle assessment of wood harvesting technologies in Turkish forestry to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Eur J For Eng 7 (2): 67-76. https://doi.org/10.33904/ejfe.1036102.
FIO. 2005. Planting Teak Forest Plantations. Forest Industry Organization, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. https://www.fio.co.th. [Thai]
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2020. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020: Main Report. FAO, Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9825en.
Gregor K, Krause A, Reyer CPO, Knoke T, Meyer BF, Suvanto S, Rammig A. 2024. Quantifying the impact of key factors on the carbon mitigation potential of managed temperate forests. Carbon Balance Manag 19: 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-023-00247-9.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2007. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. https://www.ipcc.ch.
International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). 2017. The global teak study: Analysis, evaluation, and future potential of teak resources. In: Kollert W, Kleine M (eds.). IUFRO World Series Volume 36. IUFRO, Vienna.
Kaakkurivaara N, Kaakkurivaara T, Ketkaew C, Sakulya T, Borz SA. 2022. Modelling productivity in extraction operations by simulations based on GNSS documented data: An example from skidding teak wood in Thailand. Bull Transilv Univ Brasov Ser II For Wood Ind Agric Food Eng 15 (2): 13-32. https://doi.org/10.31926/but.fwiafe.2022.15.64.2.2.
Kärhä K, Eliasson L, Kühmaier M, Spinelli R. 2024. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in fully mechanized cut-to-length harvesting operations of industrial roundwood: A review. Curr For Rep 10: 255-272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-024-00219-3.
Land Development Department. 2009. Soil Survey Report for Agricultural Purposes in Lampang Province. Land Development Department, Bangkok. [Thai]
Markewitz D. 2006. Fossil fuel carbon emissions from silviculture: Impacts on net carbon sequestration in forests. For Ecol Manag 236 (2-3): 153-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2006.08.343.
Meunpong P, Takuathung CN, Rianthakool L, Yingdee J, Kaewgrajang T, Sriarkarin S, Jumwong N, Sangvisitpirom P, Chonlapap N, Chumsangsri T. 2026. Generalized additive models vs. traditional models for teak biomass estimation in Northern Thailand. Biodiversitas 27 (1): d270119. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270119.
Nero BF, Boateng-Boye RK. 2025. Teak (Tectona grandis) plantations growth response to N-P-K fertilizer and thinning in Tain II Forest Reserve, Ghana. Intl J For Res 2025: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1155/ijfr/2723959.
Raymond JE, Fox TR, Strahm BD, Zerpa J. 2016. Differences in the recovery of four different nitrogen containing fertilizers after two application seasons in pine plantations across the Southeastern United States. For Ecol Manag 380: 161-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2016.08.044.
Repo A, Tuomi M, Liski J. 2010. Indirect carbon dioxide emissions from producing bioenergy from forest harvest residues. GCB Bioenergy 3 (2): 107-115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-1707.2010.01065.x.
Royal Forest Department. 2013. Thai Teak Knowledge. Royal Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok. [Thai]
Schmid B, Mosley F, Hassegawa M, Leskinen P, Verkerk PJ. 2021. Forest-based Bioeconomy and Climate Change Mitigation. European Forest Institute, Joensuu.
Sreejesh KK, Thomas TP, Rugmini P, Prasanth KM, Kripa PK. 2013. Carbon sequestration potential of teak (Tectona grandis) plantations in Kerala. Res J Recent Sci 2: 167-170.
Thai Meteorological Department. 2023. Lampang Meteorological Station. Thai Meteorological Department, Bangkok. [Thai]
Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization. 2016. Emission Factors (CFP). https://thaicarbonlabel.tgo.or.th.
Weyrens PJ, Therasme O, Germain HR. 2022. Quantifying the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of a mechanized shelterwood harvest producing both sawtimber and woodchips. Forests 13 (1): 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13010070.
Wirabuana PYAP, Hendrati RL, Baskorowati L, Susanto M, Mashudi, Budi Santoso S, Sulistiadi HB, Setiadi D, Sumardi, Alam S. 2022. Growth performance, biomass accumulation, and energy production in an age series of clonal teak plantation. For Sci Technol 18 (2): 67-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/21580103.2022.2063952.
Xu C, Gao Y, Lv M. 2025. Global greenhouse gas emissions in the 21st century: Complex network, driver pattern and economy-based interaction. Chin J Popul Resour Environ 23 (2): 153-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjpre.2025.05.002.