sustainable use of forests and the carbon-neutrality targets can be combined

© Natural Resources Institute Finland © Natural Resources Institute Finland

Prof. Hannu Ilvesniemi

Sustainable use of forests

and the carbon-neutrality

targets can be combined

© Natural Resources Institute Finland

Forests are sinks of carbon and sources of

biodiversity


The annual growth of Finnish forests during the last 75 years

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Forests in the bio-based economy


The development of the amount of standing

forests in Finland according to the National Forest

Inventories

4 22.9.2016 Forests in the bio-based economy


Sustainable use of forests and the carbon-

neutrality targets can be combined



The growth rate of forests (dX/dt) depends on environmental

factors like radiation (r), temperature (t), moisture (w) and on the

other hand on investments done into forests (i) (including, site

preparation, planting, plant breeding and fertilization)

The change in the tree biomass in forests can be presented as a

spatial (s) and temporal (t) integral (∫) of these factors

t s

∫ ∫ (r, t, w, i) 0 0 In such calculations, if the time period looked at is short, the

spatial area observed has to be large enough (preferably wholy

country) and if the spatial area looked at is small, the observation

period needs to be long enough like (80 years), otherwise the

calculation is not sensible.



Repeated cuttings can be combined with increasing

growing stock when forests, not a single stand, are taken

into account

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50

100

150

200

250

300


To understand the logic of the carbon

sinks of forests is challengin

The annual growth of Finnish forests was in 1970 c.a. 50 milj. m3/a. After that more than 10 billion E has been invested to several silvicultural operations and due to that Finnish forests grow now more than 100 milj. m3/a.

When suggesting to store carbon in older forests the outcom is not an increased sink but the opposite e.g. due to the reduced interest to invest in the future forest growth.

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The primary cause of climate

change is the use of fossil fuels

By taking good care of forests the case of

Finland serves as an example of the

unexpected situation where the intensive use

and good care of forests we have increased

simultaneously the biomass use, growth and

standing biomass.

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.201

6 9


Sustainability of forest energy in Northern Europe

Kati Koponen, Laura Sokka, Olli Salminen, Risto Sievänen, Kim

Pingoud, Hannu Ilvesniemi, Johanna Routa, Tanja Ikonen, Tiina

Koljonen, Eija Alakangas, Antti Asikainen and Kai Sipilä

VTT TECHNOLOGY 237

http://www.vtt.fi/inf/pdf/technology/2015/T237.pdf

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.201

6 10


Thank you!

22.9.2016 Forests in the bio-based economy 11

sustainable use of forests and the carbon-neutrality targets can be combined

Science