Die Kohlenstoffbilanz des österreichischen Waldes und Betrachtungen zum Kyoto-Protokoll
(The Carbon Balance of the Austrian Forests and Considerations on the Kyoto Protocol) (in German)

The above book, a joint publication of the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Forest Research Centre, has been published recently. The book provides a critical analysis of the possibilities and constraints regarding the role of the forest as a carbon sink and its contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This publication can be ordered from the Federal Environmental Agency.

The role of the forest

The Austrian forest stores around 800 Mio of tons of carbon each year. This amount corresponds to the 40 fold quantity of the greenhouse emissions released in Austria annually. As during the last decades the Austrian forest has produced more timber than have been harvested, the amount of carbon stocked has increased continuously. During the last one and a half decades this corresponded to an increase of around 15 % of the greenhouse gas emissions.

However, it is true that deforestation continues to increase dramatically in the tropics. During these processes huge amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere.

The problem of carbon sequestration

Carbon sinks - such as forests or oceans - are of utmost importance for the balance of global carbon cycles. At the moment, these sinks can compensate only to a minor extent the enormous greenhouse gas emissions arising from fossil fuels (fuel, gas, carbon). It cannot be foreseen how long such forest sinks are able to maintain their function. The need for agricultural land and settlement areas due to global demographic pressure leads to a further reduction of forests. Extensive clearing of forest land is the cause for the release of a great part of carbon stored before in trees and forest soils. The use of timber as raw material may compensate these processes provided it comes from sustainable forest management. The replacement of fossil energy sources by sustainably produced biomass is another possibility to reduce the release of carbon dioxide concentrations into the atmosphere.

No solution at sight

The emissions of greenhouse gas exceed by far the quantity which can be captured by stable carbon sinks. Therefore, the climate problem can only be solved by reducing dramatically the CO2 emissions from fossil energy sources. The agreed reduction goal of 5 % between 1990 and 2008/12 by the industrial nations is therefore only the first step towards the solution of the problem. Actions to reduce emissions must be taken immediately and must not be undermined by generous practices as regards the accounting of carbon sinks. Against this background, the successful conclusion of the climate negotiations which guarantees an actual reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the stipulated extent, is of utmost importance. The requirement of the European Union for a restrictive practice in the case of sink accounting is much opposed by other industrial nations such as the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia which are responsible for the interruption of the negotiations of the signatory states in The Hague.

Authors:

Dr. Klemens Schadauer, Federal Forest Research Centre, Department of Forest Inventory

Dr. Peter Weiss, Federal Environmental Agency, Forest Division