Canadian Forest Service Publications
The role of forests in global carbon cycles, sequestration, and storage. 2003. Percy, K.E.; Jandl, R.; Hall, J.P.; Lavigne, M.B. Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests, Vienna, Austria. IUFRO Newsletter 1.
Year: 2003
Issued by: Atlantic Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 21474
Language: English
Availability: Not available through the CFS (click for more information).
Abstract
Forests play a significant role in the global carbon cycle, having absorbed approximately one third of recent anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. However, our activities in the forest have also been a source of carbon emitted to the atmosphere, with deforestation (primarily in the tropics) contributing about one fifth of the annual anthropogenic emissions. Of great concern is the uncertainty over whether forests will be sinks for carbon in the future. In addition, as the world mobilizes to address the issue of climate change, some are proposing to use forest management to increase sequestration of carbon in the biosphere in the short to medium term. This attention on forests and forestry has increased the demand for detailed knowledge of forest functioning and accurate information about the state of the world's forests. IUFRO is active in addressing the need for better understanding and predictive capacity.