Overview & Applicability
The Carbon Calculation Tool 4.0, CCTv40.exe, is a computer application that reads publicly available forest inventory data collected by the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) and generates state-level annualized estimates of carbon stocks on forest land based on FORCARB2 estimators. Estimates can be recalculated as new inventory data become available. The input set of FIA data files available on the Internet (as well as some older inventory files used to fill in gaps) are summarized by the application, converted to carbon stocks, and saved as part of a state or substate level "survey summary" file. This is used to produce state-level and national tables with annualized carbon stocks and flux (or net stock change) beginning with the year 1990. This user's guide includes instructions for use, example data sets, and a discussion of methods and assumptions.Inputs & outputs
On startup of CCTv40.exe, a window with three buttons appears. The choices are to: obtain data from FIA, update the survey summary, or produce annualized estimates. Obtain Data from FIA: This button opens a web browser to the FIA site for downloading the FIADB 4.0 inventory data files, which are organized and identified by state. The four files needed for each state are POP_EVAL_GRP, PLOTSNAP, COND, and TREE, which are available in .zip (or compressed) or .csv (comma separated) formats Update Survey Summary File: This button opens a window for modifying the current survey summary file (initially, survey_summary_04Dec09.csv in the “SurveySummaryFiles” folder) Produce Annualized Estimates: This button opens a window to produce tabular annualized stock and flux estimates. This tool:- Estimates state-level forest ecosystem carbon stocks and provides annualized stock and flux estimates for 1990 to the present
- Provides a means of updating estimates to reflect changes in or additions to forest inventory data as new data become available on the Internet
- Produces tabular summaries by state or national total (49 states)3 for forest ecosystem pools identified as “good practice” by the IPCC (Penman and others 2003) and reported in EPA’s annual inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and sinks (for example, see U.S. EPA 2009)