PowerPoint Presentation

Forest management,forest products& the climate

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Forestry's significance in the carbon dioxide balance

Growing trees capture

carbon dioxide by photosynthesis

The carbon from the carbon dioxide is stored in

every part of the tree

Processing raw materials in the forest based industry requires

a low input of energy

Replacing more energy-demanding

materials with wood-based products produces a bonus effect

Wood-based products are recycled and/or re-used

Worn-out products can be incinerated and turned into bio-energy or compost

In combustion and composting,

carbon dioxide is emitted to the atmosphere

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Carbon exists in all living materials. Photosynthesis converts solar energy, carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates which are the building blocks of tree growth. This is the way carbon dioxide in the air is stored - as carbon compounds in trees and woodlands. That carbon dioxide is also stored in products made from forestry industry raw materials, such as timber, cardboard and paper. The forests and their products therefore contribute to counteracting the greenhouse effect.

A majority of forestry industry products are recycled and/or re-used. Carbon dioxide is released when worn-out products are used as fuel or are composted. A corresponding volume of carbon dioxide is absorbed by the tree as it grows. This completes the cycle and a new cycle can begin.

The substitution effect - one example

Paper products

Reduced CO2 emissions

Bioenergy

Timber products

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Timber is a renewable material. This means that the raw material will never run out if forests are managed in a sustainable manner. As the forests grow, the trees capture carbon through photosynthesis. When the trees are felled and used for timber and paper, the carbon remains in the processed product and is stored there until the product rots down or is burnt. When that happens, the carbon is emitted to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Compared to other materials, timber is a low-energy product - that is, little energy is consumed in its production. Choosing wood-based products can produce significantly fewer carbon dioxide emissions than concrete products, for example. This is called the substitution effect.

Substitution is touched upon indirectly by the Kyoto agreement. For example, if substituting steel and concrete used in buildings leads to a lower consumption of fossil energy in the manufacturing and construction processes, an incentive is thus created to use more timber.

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Swedish forests are sustainably managed

For every harvested tree, at least two new ones are planted

The annual growth is greater than the felling

Nature considerations are taken in all forest activities in order to preserve biodiversity

The forest industry is part of the solution to further reduce in Sweden's emissions of fossil carbon dioxide through

increased use of wood-based products

increased use of the waste products from felling for energy production

If the growth is increased even more carbon dioxide is captured

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The forest as a carbon sink

Growing forests capture carbon dioxide through photosynthesis

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Emissions and absorption of carbon dioxide in Sweden

The difference between annual growth and felling means that the Swedish forests store a net volume of 20-35 Mtonnes of CO2 per year. *

A maximum of 2.13 Mtonnes** may be accounted, according to the Kyoto agreement. Sweden does not report this.

*Sweden's reports to the UNFCCC

** 3 % of Sweden's emissions in 1990

Mtonnes CO2

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According to the Kyoto Protocol, forestry forms part of the land use sector (Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry, LULUCF) and is encompassed by Articles 3.3 and 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol. Article 3.3, which contains mandatory reporting, encompasses Afforestation, Reforestation and Deforestation. Forestry is covered by Article 3.4, and reporting is voluntary. Sweden has chosen to report on forestry. As opposed to other sectors, the land use sector reports the annual net sink instead of the difference from 1990. For Sweden, this is of great significance since the years around 1990 were a period of low felling activity and therefore of large sink. This means that if Sweden had to report on the carbon sink constituted by the forests today in comparison with the level in the year 1990, it would seem as if the forests were emitting 15 Mtonnes of carbon dioxide (27 Mtonnes (1990) 21 Mtonnes (2007)).

According to UNFCCC reports, Sweden's forests have captured 20-35 Mtonnes of CO2 a year over the years since 1990. Sweden is allowed to include a maximum of 2.13 Mtonnes of this due to limitations in the Kyoto protocol. However, Sweden has chosen not to report this sink.

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Forests and the climate threat & opportunity

Deforestation which takes place mainly in tropical countries leads to carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere

According to the UN's climate panel deforestation represents approx. 20 % of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions

Sustainable forest management with replanting results in a net store of carbon dioxide, thus mitigating the greenhouse effect

Carbon is stored in the manufactured products - increased production results in an increased store

When -based products replace materials that give rise to major emissions, an even more positive climate effect is added

Threat

Opportunity

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Threats: One of the largest human sources of emissions of carbon dioxide is deforestation in developing countries, where the forests are being felled without being replanted. One of the main causes of deforestation is poverty and the need for land for growing crops and for grazing. Nicolas Stern points to agriculture as one of the driving forces behind deforestation (Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change, 2006). Devastation of forested areas - forestry without replanting - also promotes deforestation, principally in parts of South East Asia

Opportunities: There are two ways in which to combat the greenhouse effect. Either by reducing the supply of carbon dioxide, or by absorbing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and capturing it. Managed properly, the forests produce both effects. One way of reducing the supply of carbon dioxide is to replace fossil sources of energy with renewables or by converting to materials that do not cause major emissions of fossil carbon dioxide when they are manufactured. Timber is the type of material that reduces the supply of carbon dioxide if it replaces more energy-hungry materials. If this substitution increases, a greater store of carbon is also created in the products. If more trees are grown than felled, more carbon dioxide is also captured within the forests.

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Sweden

Brazil

China

Indonesia

- 4,0

Europe

North America

Africa

South America

Asia

World 0.2

0

Annual change in growing stocks in the period 1990 - 2005 (%)

Threats

One fifth of the emissions caused by man originate from deforestation and forest degradation. That is the largest individual source of emissions.

Forested

area

%

1,0

1,0

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The figure shows the annual change in timber stocks during the period 1990-2005. The widths of the columns are proportional to the volume of timber in the respective parts of the world.

In the world's forests, the volume of timber is decreasing by approx 0.7 billion m3 per year, which is not much in percentage terms (0.2 %) but it is a large volume in terms of the volume of carbon. Forests are diminishing most in South East Asia, South America and Africa. Brazil and Indonesia are examples of countries in which the stocks of timber are diminishing most. The greatest increases are taking place in Europe, but countries in other parts of the world are also showing positive trends - China, for example.

There are three main problems in the world's forests as regards the carbon balance

Deforestation primarily in the tropics. Deforestation takes place because of shifting cultivation (which is a symptom of poverty) and also for industrial reasons.

Damage to forests causes considerable emissions of carbon dioxide. Fire causes most damage, but damage is also caused by other factors such as insects, fungi, storms and flooding.

Poor husbandry of large areas of forest, leading to poor land use (poor regrowth, felling of rich forest areas, etc)

An active forest management with high levels of growth captures carbon dioxide. The volume of growing stock in the Swedish forests have almost doubled during the past 90 years while felling has doubled. The increase is continuing.

Opportunity

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The global potential of the Swedish forestry model an intellectual experiment

Total emissions + 7.2

Global forestry on the lines of Swedish model - 2.3

Stop to deforestation - 0.6

Halving of damage to forests - 1.1

Total - 4.0

Absorption in the seas and

vegetation - 3.2

Total 0

All of the values shown relate to billions of tonnes of C

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Annual emissions of greenhouse gases are equivalent to 7.2 billion tonnes of carbon, of which 3.2 is absorbed by vegetation and the sea. If the world's forests were managed like those in Sweden with a net growth of around one per cent per year, this would mean an absorption of carbon dioxide equivalent to 2.3 billion tonnes. A successful project to stop deforestation would reduce emissions by a further 0.6 billion tonnes a year. Badly managed forests are exposed to extensive damage as a result of insect attack, fires and storms. Active management of the forests could not eliminate all of this damage, but it would reduce it greatly. The intellectual experiment assumes that it could be halved by applying active forestry management. A forestry industry after the Swedish model would therefore be able to absorb that proportion of the today's emissions which is not absorbed by the sea, land and vegetation.

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SWE the potential in a climate agreement

Sustainable forest management after the Swedish model would contribute to a reduction of global warming and a developed economy. The Swedish Wood Effect = SWE

Increasing growth in the forests

Reducing deforestation

Stimulating an increase in the use of wood by including products in the climate agreement.

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The ability of the forests to capture carbon dioxide could play a significant role in the work of limiting the changes taking place in the climate

Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an initiative to reduce deforestation.

A global agreement that evaluates the ability of timber-based products to store carbon could hasten the changeover from fossil-based materials, thereby reducing the greenhouse effect

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Outcomes in Copenhagen (COP15)

Did not result in legally binding agreements or in a framework agreement.

"The Copenhagen Accord" limits global warming to +2oC. A fund shall be established to allow less developed countries to develop their economies while also reducing emissions

USD 30 billion 2010-2012

USD 100 billion a year from 2020

Reducing deforestation is addressed in the Accord

Continued mandate to negotiate on various options as to how forests and harvested wood products should be accounted.

The negotiations on stopping deforestation are said to have made a great deal of progress but, to come into force, are conditional on resolutions on a general agreement.

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Important questions in the continued climate negotiations

Measures, including financing, for reduced deforestation

Accounting models for evaluating the role of the forests as regards absorption of carbon dioxide

Choice of model for accounting on the store of carbon in the harvested wood products.

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Forests in the climate negotiations - various options

Gross Net

Net absorption/emissions of carbon dioxide are reported for the commitment period

Net Net

The net absorption/emissions for the year in question are compared to a base year (currently 1990)

Reference level with limitations

The current year's net absorption/ emissions are compared to forecasted levels

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Forest sink

The reporting model for the forest sink is included in the negotiations surrounding a future climate agreement. There are three main alternatives

Gross-Net (Swe: Brutto-Netto): Which means that the annual net absorption of carbon dioxide (the sink) is reported. This is today's model. Gross-net in the negotiations with a cap on how large a part of the sink a country is allowed to assimilate.

Net-Net (Swe: Netto-Netto): Which means that the difference in net absorption for the current year is compared to a base year(currently 1990).

Reference level with limitations Net-Net is combined with different models for limitations. This can happen by

- comparing years with a forward reference level instead of a base year.

- comparing the current year with a range from 0 to the reference level. If the sink/emissions for the current year reach beyond the range, a debit or credit will be made.

- comparing current year with a range around the reference level. If the sink/emissions for the current year reach beyond the range, a debit or credit will be made.

The computation model being discussed most in the current situation is Reference level with limitations.

Gross-Net has a direct link with the positive effect on the climate produced by carbon capture in the forests. At the same time, major variations in felling from year to year produce a major effect on the carbon balance of an afforested country. Large-scale measures to reduce emissions within other sectors could have no impact on a nation's undertakings if felling goes down, and reduced felling can lead to poor incentives to reduce emissions. Some form of limitation thus creates stability in energy policy. At the same time, this reduces the need to develop special rules for extreme situations involving storms, forest fires etc. Non-afforested countries also find it difficult to accept a model that could lead to certain countries not needing to reduce emissions as a consequence of having large and growing stands of forest.

All forms of reference levels and Net-Net reporting require agreements on base years and reference years. The risk then is that the issue is transferred from the mitigating effect of forestry on climate change to dealing only with negotiation, which could in turn lead to a national policy that is all about regulating forestry and/or the forestry industry.

From the carbon sink perspective, a high level of forest expansion is essential regardless of the reporting model. In an individual stand of forest, expansion might be stimulated by applying fertiliser, for example. The expansion could also be increased by using specially-bred plants or fast-growing tree species. Since expansion is being driven by photosynthesis, expansion will increase as the needle and leaf mass increases. A high-volume stand of trees has a higher level of photosynthesis than a low-volume one. Growing trees with high storage are therefore a means of achieving high levels of expansion but are not a goal in themselves.

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The climate-role of products

A proposal within the climate negotiations is that the carbon stored in harvested wood products should be accounted for. The size of that store is determined on the basis of production volume and the product.

Timber products have the longest length of life. Paper has a shorter length of life.

Biofuels are not accounted for, although biofuels do have a major impact when they are replacing fossil fuels.

Recognition of harvested wood products as a carbon store would give a positive signal and the scope to disseminate positive Swedish experiences SWE.

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When the product sink is accounted for, it is calculated by means of assumptions about the half-life of various products; in other words, the time it takes for half of the products to have been converted into carbon dioxide. The IPCC guide values are 30 years for solid timber goods, 2 years for paper products and 0 years for energy products regardless of whether they are processed or not. In the long term, this method of calculation means that solid timber goods will dominate the product sink.

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Products in the climate agreement

Including products in a new climate agreement will create the incentive to stimulate use of wood-products.

Increased production of wood products

Increased store of carbon in products

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2009

2005

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2009

2008

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If the production of timber products increases from year to year, this will lead to the volume of carbon being stored in those products also increasing. If included in the climate agreement, in its turn this will provide an opportunity to stimulate an increase in the use of timber products.

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The products' climate-role - conclusion

Wood-based products have a huge potential for storing carbon. If their use increases, the store will increase.

Products with a long length of life will have the greatest impact.

There is a link between felling and products. Increased felling leads to increased production of wood-based products. The storage effect of the products balances partially the reduced net absorption due to increased felling.

The use of wood-based products also has an impact on the climate if materials that are more energy-demanding are replaced by timber.

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Important principles for future climate agreements

An agreement must be based on a model that accounts for net growth of the forests and not historic figures or base years

An agreement must recognize the use of harvested wood products and the positive impact that these products have on the climate

An agreement must contain initiatives for reducing deforestation

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Common acronyms in the climate negotiations

UNFCCC = United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

COP = Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC. 193 countries. Subdivided into:

Annex I (industrialised countries and developing economies)

Annex II (Developed countries that pay for expenditure in developing countries)

Developing countries.

KP= Kyoto Protocol. 40 countries have signed the agreement which indicates commitments to reduce emissions.

CMP = Meeting of the Parties of the KP.

IPCC = Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The UN's panel of research scientists for climate change.

LULUCF = Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry. The designation of the land-use sector in the Kyoto Agreement.

HWP = Harvested Wood Products.

REDD = Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation.

REDD + = Extension of REDD at the COP meeting on Bali to also encompass the preservation of biodiversity and respect for indigenous peoples.

UN REDD = United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.

CDM = Clean Development Mechanism. Part of the Kyoto Agreement which permits an industrialised country to implement projects for reducing emissions in developing countries. Can provide salable emissions credits.

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2020c

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