Managing production forests for timber production and carbon emission reductions under the REDD+ scheme

Abstract

Sustainable forest management (SFM) ensures the continuous flow of wood products and employment while improving the functionalities of forests as compared to conventional management. Until recently, many projects associated with the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) scheme focused only on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, conservation of carbon stocks, or enhancement of forest carbon stocks. REDD+ is an extension of REDD that also includes, SFM, conservation of carbon stocks, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. REDD+ projects concerned with securing timber production while reducing emissions are very few in number. In this report, we discuss how SFM through the adoption of appropriate logging practices can lead to a reduction in carbon emissions while securing timber in the tropics. Logging practices affect timber production, the structure of forests, and forest-dependent communities because of damages caused by logging itself and the large amounts of logging and wood wastes. By switching from conventional logging to reduced-impact logging practices, International Tropical Timber Organization producer countries could reduce carbon emissions by about 1.5–2.1 billion tCO2 year−1 while still producing about 164.9–280.8 million m3 of end-use wood under a 50-year project cycle, with the results being dependent on the chosen scenario. Study results suggest that a policy of reduced-impact logging combined with a 40-year or longer cutting cycle is appropriate for SFM projects as part of the REDD+ scheme.