Carbon accumulation in European forests

P. Ciais; M.J. Schelhaas; S. Zaehle; S.L. Piao; A. Cescatti; J. Liski; S. Luyssaert; G. Le-Maire; E.D. Schulze; O. Bouriaud; A. Freibauer; R. Valentini; G.J. Nabuurs

doi:10.1038/ngeo233

Carbon accumulation in European forests

P. Ciais, M.J. Schelhaas, S. Zaehle, S.L. Piao, A. Cescatti, J. Liski, S. Luyssaert, G. Le-Maire, E.D. Schulze, O. Bouriaud, A. Freibauer, R. Valentini, G.J. Nabuurs

Wageningen Environmental Research

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

255 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

European forests are intensively exploited for wood products, yet they also form a sink for carbon. European forest inventories, available for the past 50 years, can be combined with timber harvest statistics to assess changes in this carbon sink. Analysis of these data sets between 1950 and 2000 from the EU-15 countries excluding Luxembourg, plus Norway and Switzerland, reveals that there is a tight relationship between increases in forest biomass and forest ecosystem productivity but timber harvests grew more slowly. Encouragingly, the environmental conditions in combination with the type of silviculture that has been developed over the past 50 years can efficiently sequester carbon on timescales of decades, while maintaining forests that meet the demand for wood. However, a return to using wood as biofuel and hence shorter rotations in forestry could cancel out the benefits of carbon storage over the past five decades

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	425-429
Number of pages	5
Journal	Nature Geoscience
Volume	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo233
Publication status	Published - 2008

Keywords

boreal forests
pinus-cembra
land-use
temperate
dynamics
ecosystems
database
climate
turnover
biomass

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1038/ngeo233

Bsik IC2 (IMAGE) (KB-02-001-023, KB-02-002-023)
Clerkx, S. (Project Leader)
1/01/08 → 31/12/10
Project: LVVN project
Integrated analysis of land use based emission reduction over regions, sectors, and sources (Bsik IC2) (KB-01-010-013, KB-01-004-008)
Clerkx, S. (Project Leader)
1/01/08 → 31/12/10
Project: LVVN project
BSIK Me3:Soil carbon dynamics and variability at the landscape scale: its relation to aspects of spatial distribution in national emission databases (KB-02-001-008)
de Waal, R. (Project Leader)
1/01/08 → 31/12/09
Project: LVVN project

Cite this

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title = "Carbon accumulation in European forests",

abstract = "European forests are intensively exploited for wood products, yet they also form a sink for carbon. European forest inventories, available for the past 50 years, can be combined with timber harvest statistics to assess changes in this carbon sink. Analysis of these data sets between 1950 and 2000 from the EU-15 countries excluding Luxembourg, plus Norway and Switzerland, reveals that there is a tight relationship between increases in forest biomass and forest ecosystem productivity but timber harvests grew more slowly. Encouragingly, the environmental conditions in combination with the type of silviculture that has been developed over the past 50 years can efficiently sequester carbon on timescales of decades, while maintaining forests that meet the demand for wood. However, a return to using wood as biofuel and hence shorter rotations in forestry could cancel out the benefits of carbon storage over the past five decades",

keywords = "boreal forests, pinus-cembra, land-use, temperate, dynamics, ecosystems, database, climate, turnover, biomass",

author = "P. Ciais and M.J. Schelhaas and S. Zaehle and S.L. Piao and A. Cescatti and J. Liski and S. Luyssaert and G. Le-Maire and E.D. Schulze and O. Bouriaud and A. Freibauer and R. Valentini and G.J. Nabuurs",

year = "2008",

doi = "10.1038/ngeo233",

language = "English",

volume = "1",

pages = "425--429",

journal = "Nature Geoscience",

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publisher = "Nature",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Carbon accumulation in European forests

AU - Ciais, P.

AU - Schelhaas, M.J.

AU - Zaehle, S.

AU - Piao, S.L.

AU - Cescatti, A.

AU - Liski, J.

AU - Luyssaert, S.

AU - Le-Maire, G.

AU - Schulze, E.D.

AU - Bouriaud, O.

AU - Freibauer, A.

AU - Valentini, R.

AU - Nabuurs, G.J.

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - European forests are intensively exploited for wood products, yet they also form a sink for carbon. European forest inventories, available for the past 50 years, can be combined with timber harvest statistics to assess changes in this carbon sink. Analysis of these data sets between 1950 and 2000 from the EU-15 countries excluding Luxembourg, plus Norway and Switzerland, reveals that there is a tight relationship between increases in forest biomass and forest ecosystem productivity but timber harvests grew more slowly. Encouragingly, the environmental conditions in combination with the type of silviculture that has been developed over the past 50 years can efficiently sequester carbon on timescales of decades, while maintaining forests that meet the demand for wood. However, a return to using wood as biofuel and hence shorter rotations in forestry could cancel out the benefits of carbon storage over the past five decades

AB - European forests are intensively exploited for wood products, yet they also form a sink for carbon. European forest inventories, available for the past 50 years, can be combined with timber harvest statistics to assess changes in this carbon sink. Analysis of these data sets between 1950 and 2000 from the EU-15 countries excluding Luxembourg, plus Norway and Switzerland, reveals that there is a tight relationship between increases in forest biomass and forest ecosystem productivity but timber harvests grew more slowly. Encouragingly, the environmental conditions in combination with the type of silviculture that has been developed over the past 50 years can efficiently sequester carbon on timescales of decades, while maintaining forests that meet the demand for wood. However, a return to using wood as biofuel and hence shorter rotations in forestry could cancel out the benefits of carbon storage over the past five decades

KW - boreal forests

KW - pinus-cembra

KW - land-use

KW - temperate

KW - dynamics

KW - ecosystems

KW - database

KW - climate

KW - turnover

KW - biomass

U2 - 10.1038/ngeo233

DO - 10.1038/ngeo233

M3 - Article

SN - 1752-0894

VL - 1

SP - 425

EP - 429

JO - Nature Geoscience

JF - Nature Geoscience

ER -

Carbon accumulation in European forests

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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Projects

Bsik IC2 (IMAGE) (KB-02-001-023, KB-02-002-023)

Integrated analysis of land use based emission reduction over regions, sectors, and sources (Bsik IC2) (KB-01-010-013, KB-01-004-008)

BSIK Me3:Soil carbon dynamics and variability at the landscape scale: its relation to aspects of spatial distribution in national emission databases (KB-02-001-008)

Cite this