Ari Pussinen

Forest carbon sequestration and harvests in Scots pine stand under different climate and nitrogen deposition scenarios

Abstract In this study, effects of altered rotation length, nitrogen deposition and changing climate on harvest removal and carbon sequestration of forest, as well as on economic profitability of forestry, were assessed. This study was based on simulations with a gap-type forest succession model in the conditions that represent Scots pine stands in southern Finland. Both warmer climatic conditions and increased nitrogen deposition enhanced forest productivity and timber yield. This also shortened the optimum rotations based on mean annual yield and soil expectation value. The highest carbon stock in forests, i.e. the highest mean annual carbon stock in the forest over a rotation period, was achieved with long rotations and higher nitrogen deposition. However, a warmer climate had an opposite effect on the forest carbon stock, because enhanced decomposition of soil organic matter resulted in a lower carbon stock in the forest soil.

Trees as carbon sinks and sources in the European Union

The carbon (C) sinks and sources of trees that may be accounted for under Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol during the first commitment period from 2008 to 2012 were estimated for the countries of the European Union (EU) based on existing forest inventory data. Two sets of definitions for the accounted activities, aAorestation, reforestation and deforestation, were applied. Applying the definitions by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the trees were estimated to be a C source in eight and a C sink in seven countries, and in the whole EU a C source of 5.4 Tg year ˇ1 . Applying the definitions by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), the trees were estimated to be a C source in three and a C sink in 12 countries, and in the whole EU a C sink of 0.1 Tg year ˇ1 . These estimates are small compared with the C sink of trees in all EU forests, 63 Tg year ˇ1 , the anthropogenic CO2 emissions of the EU, 880 Tg C year ˇ1 , and the reduction target of the CO2 emissions, 8%. In individual countries, the estimated C sink of the trees accounted for under Article 3.3 was at largest 8% and the C source 12% compared with the CO2 emissions. 7 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scenarios for the carbon balance of Finnish forests and wood products

Abstract The objective of this paper is to compare different scenarios for carbon (C) sequestration in the forest sector in Finland. Forest inventory data was used as input data to simulate the dynamics of C sequestration with a gap-type forest simulation model and a wood product model. In the baseline scenario, current forest management practices were applied. In another scenario, current recommendations for forest management were applied, which resulted in more intensive harvesting than in the baseline scenario. Both scenarios were also applied under changing climatic conditions to demonstrate the possible effect of climate change on C sequestration. This study demonstrates that C sequestration assessments should include not only C in the biomass of trees, but also C in the soil and in the wood products, as well as interactions between the respective pools. Partial assessments are likely to result in misleading estimates of the actual C sequestration. Forest management affects the distribution of C between the pools and the changing climate is likely to change this distribution. The Kyoto Protocol deals with only a limited part of the forestry and forest C cycle and C accounting accordingly can provide results that depart substantially from more complete accounting.

CARBON BALANCE IN THE FOREST SECTOR IN FINLAND DURING 1990-2039

In this study we estimated the amount of carbon (C) stored in the forest growing stock and in wood-based products, and the C-sequestration capacity of the forest sector in Finland. Comparison of different management and utilization options for forest resources over the period 1990-2039 indicates that C is stored more efficiently in standing timber than in wood-based products. This implies that an appropriate increase in the length of the rotation in forestry could be optimal for balancing the needs of forest resources for C sequestration and timber production. Increased use of wood, based on sustainable use of forest resources, to substitute for fossil fuels and materials, could decrease the overall C emissions. Release of sequestered C back to the atmosphere can be delayed by prolonging product lifespans, by increasing recycling, or by disposing of discarded products in landfills. To delay C release, and affect the C balance, however, these changes should be substantial.In 1990, the net C balance of the growing stemwood stock was 5.5 Tg C/a, which increased to 16.3 Tg C/a by 2039 if in the future the use of wood would be at the level of the late 1980s. Increased use of wood resulted in a balance of 6.6 Tg C/a or -0.2 Tg C/a, depending on the extent of the use of wood. The average C balance in wood products for the whole period was 3.9, 5.6 or 6.6 Tg C/a, respectively. Changes in production capacity, and consideration of timber and product import and export decreased the average balance from 6.6 Tg C/a to 0.9–1.3 Tg C/a. By comparison, emission from the use of fossil fuels in 1990 C was 14.5 Tg C/a.

Potential contribution of the forest sector to carbon sequestration in Finland

Abstract Although Finlands forest resources have been utilized intensively, the size of the total volume of the growing stock has increased since the mid-1960s, and hence increasing amounts of carbon have been sequestered by forests. The net sequestration by forests has also been substantial when compared with the CO 2 emissions resulting from energy generation and consumption based on fossil fuels and peat. It is also important, from the point of view of mitigating the effects of climate change, to assess how the sequestration capacity of forests may change under changing climatic conditions. This paper presents the results of a study assessing the development of the forest and wood-product carbon budget for Finland, based on regionally measured data, detailed dynamic models, and recent predictions concerning the changing climate. At the starting point for the simulation (1990), nearly 90% of the forest sectors carbon storage was found in the forest. Regular management transferred carbon from forests to wood products. Under the current climatic conditions, the simulated forest carbon storage increased 45% by the year 2100, and the wood-product storage by 320%, as a consequence of continuous production. Under changing climate conditions, the forest carbon storage increased, but started to decline when the temperature increase exceeded 2.5°C within 40 years.

The History and Future Dynamics of Carbon Sequestration in Finland’s Forest Sector

Forest resources in Finland have been utilized intensively. Nonetheless, the magnitude of the growing stock has increased, and hence an increasing amount of carbon has been sequestered by the forests. The net sequestration of carbon by the forests has been substantial when compared to CO2 emissions by combustion of fossil fuels and peat.