Abstract
The global carbon neutrality challenge places a spotlight on forests as carbon sinks. However, greenhouse gas (GHG) balances of wood for material and energy use often reveal GHG emission savings in comparison with a non-wood reference. Is it thus better to increase wood production and use, or to conserve and expand the carbon stock in forests? GHG balances of wood products mostly ignore the dynamics of carbon storage in forests, which can be expressed as the carbon storage balance in forests (CSBF). For Germany, a CSBF of 0.25 to 1.15 t CO2-eq. m−3 wood can be assumed. When the CSBF is integrated into the GHG balance, GHG mitigation substantially deteriorates and wood products may even turn into a GHG source, e.g., in the case of energy wood. In such cases, building up forest carbon stocks would be the better option. We conclude that it is vital to include the CSBF in GHG balances of wood products to assess the impacts of wood extraction from forests. Only then can GHG balances provide political decision makers and stakeholders in the wood sector with a complete picture of GHG emissions.
Highlights
IntroductionEmissions in the coming decades and a balance of remaining greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with carbon sinks by the middle of this century [1]
Academic Editors: Shirong Liu, To prevent global warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, the Paris Agreement requires a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions in the coming decades and a balance of remaining GHG emissions with carbon sinks by the middle of this century [1]
In the no-carbon storage balance in forests (CSBF) scenario, a GHG reduction is achieved with most wood products (Figure 2) and the GHG emission reduction shows values above 155% for construction wood and chipboard and above 85% for energy wood (Figure 3)
Summary
Emissions in the coming decades and a balance of remaining GHG emissions with carbon sinks by the middle of this century [1]. Forests and their ability to sequester carbon are expected to play a key role in reaching peak net GHG emissions and achieving carbon neutrality [2]. Different countries across the world are in the process of defining targets for their entire economy and for carbon sinks in forests and other land uses, reflected in their nationally determined contributions [3]. The target for Germany was set at −30.8 Mt CO2 -eq the German Federal Government’s Climate Protection
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