Capturing complexity: Forests, decision-making and climate change mitigation action

M.J Klapwijk,K Bishop,J Sonesson,J Stenlid,E.C.H Keskitalo,J Boberg,J Bergh,D Ellison,E.-M Nordström,R Lidskog,A Nordin,T Lundmark,E Mårald,C Björkman,A Felton

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.07.012

Abstract

Managed forests can play an important role in climate change mitigation due to their capacity to sequester carbon. However, it has proven diﬃcult to harness their full potential for climate change ...

Highlights

IntroductionIssues that involve forest management and climate change mitigation span social and ecological spheres with temporal and spatial dimensions, as well as academic disciplines and value systems
Decisions related to the use and management of forest resources are, both directly and indirectly, influenced by factors such as collective knowledge, social organization, understanding of the situation and values represented in society (Folke et al, 2016)
The articles that were included in the literature review highlighted the variety of components contributing to climate change mitigation in a forestry context

Summary

Introduction

Issues that involve forest management and climate change mitigation span social and ecological spheres with temporal and spatial dimensions, as well as academic disciplines and value systems. The use of forest materials to substitute for high ‘CO2 cost’ products, for example concrete, reduces carbon emissions and improves the length of time that forest carbon is sequestered (Eriksson et al, 2011). The use of forest biomass for bio-energy production releases recently stored carbon into the atmosphere, but avoids the release of historic carbon from the burning of fossil fuels (Gustavsson et al, 2007). Substitution of fossil fuel-based products and energy can reduce the release of CO2 into the atmosphere (Fares et al, 2015; Lundmark et al, 2014). The idea of using forest management to mitigate climate change was presented for the first time in the 1970s. Efforts are being made to incorporate these forests into climate policy frameworks, but progress has been slow

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