This paper investigates the integration of carbon
revenues into production system models used to
define economic breeding objectives for the
genetic improvement of Eucalyptus globulus
pulp-wood plantations. A model was used to
estimate that carbon dioxide equivalent
accumulation in biomass in the Australian
Eucalyptus globulus plantation estate
established between 2004 and 2012 was in the
order of ~146 t CO₂e ha⁻¹, of which 62 t CO₂e ha⁻¹ were tradable in 2012 and a further 30 t
CO₂e ha⁻¹ were tradable in 2016. By considering
a system where revenues for carbon
sequestration are directly dependant upon
biomass production in a plantation, it was
possible to determine whether economic
breeding objectives for the genetic improvement
of E. globulus will be sensitive to the revenue
from carbon sequestration. The correlated
response of breeding objectives with and without
carbon ( ΔcGH₁ ) never fell below 0.86 in
sensitivity analysis, and the mean was 0.93. As
such, where economic breeding objectives for
the genetic improvement of Eucalyptus globulus
for pulpwood plantations are based on
maximizing NPV by increasing biomass
production, the consideration of carbon in
economic breeding objectives will provide no
significant gains in NPV
