Open access publications in the SLU publication database

Abstract

Carbon uptake in terrestrial sinks is an important process in the global carbon balance and
hence in limiting the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The agreement reached
in Marrakesh (UNFCCC 2001), where some remaining issues in the Kyoto Protocol were sorted
out, means that anthropogenic sinks can be used to a limited and carefully regulated extent by
signatory parties to meet commitments. The agreement requires thorough monitoring and
accounting of sinks and sources.
IPCC will elaborate methods to estimate, measure, monitor, and report changes in carbon
stocks and anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks resulting
from land use, land-use change and forestry activities. Further, IPCC is preparing a report on
good practice guidance and uncertainty management relating to the measurement, estimation
assessment of uncertainties, monitoring and reporting of net carbon stock changes and
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks in the land use, land­
use change and forestry sector, by the ninth conference (COP 9) of the UNFCCC Parties in
2003. Moreover, IPCC will develop practicable methodologies to factor out direct human­
induced changes from natural effects and indirect human-induced effects such as fertilization
from atmospheric deposition of nitrogen or increased C02 concentration and the dynamic effects
of age structure resulting from activities and practices before 1990, by COP 10 in 2004.
Different methods can be used to account for changes in carbon stocks of different pools in
forest ecosystems. All those methods have advantages and disadvantages and the usefulness of
the results are strongly dependent on the objectives, the database, and the geographical scale. In
general it is easy to get detailed information on greenhouse gas balances on a local level. The big
challenge, however, is to develop and apply methods, which produce estimates on the national
scale with acceptable accuracy in a cost-efficient way.
The objective of this report was to evaluate Sweden's methodological options for quantifying
changes in forest carbon pools on a national scale to meet the requirements in the Kyoto
protocol. Our treatment of different methodological options has been quite general, since there
will be a certain freedom for individual countries to develop suitable national methods for the
reporting. Also, since Sweden is a country with rather stable land-use, our focus has been on
Article 3.4 in the Kyoto Protocol, rather than the activities afforestation, reforestation, and
deforestation under Article 3.3. Thus, our focus has been on methods for quantifying changes in
carbon pools in forest management areas. No attempts have been made to factor out natural and
indirect human-induced effects, which is likely to be required in future reporting. Nor have we
made any attempts to study methods for estimating fluxes of non-C02 greenhouse gases.
The approach of the study has been to compile and synthesize current knowledge and practises
in Sweden and to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of various methods in terms of
requirements and availability of data, included carbon pools, uncertainty of the outcome, etc.
The work has considered:
• What forest definition to use
• How to define different forest carbon pools in the Swedish case
• What methods are available for assessment of carbon stock changes at the national
level and the corresponding accuracy in the national level estimates
• What methods are available for purposes of verification
• Needs for research and improvement of on-going national monitoring programmes to
enhance the accuracy of the carbon pool change estimates