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Active forest management and its role in climate change mitigation • Tomas Lundmark • SLU • Sweden The Scandinavian model •0.7 % •5 % •10 % Broader insights on forest management in relation to carbon balance and bioeconomy The importance of management Potential to mitigate climate change Potential to contribute to bio-economy Unmanaged Managed Heterogeneous structure Old-growth Natural disturbances Lots of dead wood Natural regeneration Even-aged stands Even age class distribution Rotations adapted to ”maximize” mean annual production Silviculture Forest Mitigation Strategies: Two competing positions Stop logging ….. … or use wood? Strategies to mitigate climate change … reduce emissions? Bioenergy Fossil energy Forest products Other products Forest ecosystem “carbon stock” Consumption Strategies to mitigate climate change …maximize carbon stock in the forests Forest ecosystem Bioenergy Fossil energy Forest products Other products Consumption Strategies to mitigate climate change … or maximize forest growth to increase consumption of “CO2neutral products”? Bioenergy Fossil energy Forest products Other products Forest ecosystem Consumption Mitigation Options in the Forest Sector 1. Increase stand-level carbon density 2. Increase landscape-level carbon density 3. Increase (or maintain) forest area 4. Increase C stored in products, 5. Reduce or avoid fossil emissions through product substitution and through bioenergy use 10 The concept of climate change mitigation efficiency (CCME) CCME of 1 m3 wood (present use) 470 kg CO2 CCME of 1 m3 (more solid wood and bioenergy) >700 kg CO2 Long term climate benefit of present forest management and product use in Sweden • Reduced or avoided emissions in Sweden in the range of 15-20 million ton CO2-eq per year • Reduced or avoided emissions in other countries in the range of 45 million ton CO2-eq per year • Global effect ≈ 60 million ton CO2-eq per year Conclusions • Design of climate change mitigation portfolios in the forest sector should account for changes in C in forest ecosystems, in harvested wood products, and for substitution benefits, relative to a base case. • Climate change mitigation efficiency varies among silvicultural activities, product use strategies and by region, and no single strategy is best everywhere. • Time perspective is crucial. • A forest that is not growing more than today can not make further climate benefit. 13 Conclusions • Forest growth and the use of forest products is more important than carbon storage in the forest in the long term • if you do not believe in breakthroughs that solves the energy issue • The “mitigation” effect can increase significantly in the Nordic and Baltic countries if measures are taken to increase sustainable harvest levels • Forest management matters !! Some final remarks • increased forest growth = increased climate benefit • increased forest growth means opportunities for increased sustainable yields • increased sustainable yields mean increased opportunities for the bio-economy to develop • there is much to be gained by a more active forestry 15