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Review article - Peer-reviewed, 2017

Climate change effects of forestry and substitution of carbon-intensive materials and fossil fuels

Gustavsson, Leif; Haus, Sylvia; Lundblad, Mattias; Lundström, Anders; Ortiz, Carina; Sathre, Roger; Truong, Nguyen Le; Wikberg, Per-Erik

Abstract

We estimate the climate effects of directing forest management in Sweden towards increased carbon storage in forests with more land set-aside for protection, or towards increased forest production for the substitution of carbon-intensive materials and fossil fuels, relative to a reference case of current forest management. We develop various scenarios of forest management and biomass use to estimate the carbon balances of the forest systems, including ecological and technological components, and their impacts on the climate in terms of radiative forcing. The scenario with increased set-aside area and the current level of forest residue harvest resulted in lower cumulative carbon emissions compared to the reference case for the first 90 years, but then showed higher emissions as reduced forest harvest led to higher carbon emissions from energy and material systems. For the reference case of current forest management, increased harvest of forest residues gave increased climate benefits. The most climatically beneficial alternative, expressed as reduced cumulative radiative forcing, in both the short and long terms is a strategy aimed at.high forest production, high residue recovery rate, and high efficiency utilization of harvested biomass. Active forest management with high harvest levels and efficient forest product utilization will provide more climate benefit, compared to reducing harvest and storing more carbon in the forest. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Biomass residues; Forest management; Climate change; Radiative forcing

Published in

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
2017, volume: 67, pages: 612-624
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Authors' information

Gustavsson, Leif
Linnaeus University
Haus, Sylvia
Linnaeus University
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Soil and Environment
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management
Ortiz, Carina
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Soil and Environment
Sathre, Roger
Linnaeus University
Truong, Nguyen Le
Linnaeus University
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management

Associated SLU-program

Forest
Climate

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG7 Affordable and clean energy
SDG13 Climate action
SDG12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science

Publication Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.056

URI (permanent link to this page)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/79262