Assessment of Atmospheric Carbon Sequestration in Forest Products

V. A. Grabar and M. L. Gitarskii

An integrated assessment of carbon balance in biomass removed during lumbering and transformed into products of forest, woodworking, and pulp and paper industry is conducted. Carbon sequestration was calculated with the IPCC technique. Depending on the economic state of the forest complex, from 1961 to 2005, its products can be both a source of emission of about 15 Mt CO2 per year and a pool that can uptake up to 54.1 Mt CO2 per year. In 2004, 28.3 Mt CO2 or 1.4% equivalent emission from other national economy sectors came to forest products from the atmosphere. Rational use of forest products and reduced non-productive losses of raw wood can lead to a significant contribution of the forest complex to decrease in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.