Using wood products to mitigate climate change: a review of evidence and key issues for sustainable development

This document argues that as part of the important role that forests can play in providing wealth and well-being to countries and their citizens, forests can make an important contribution towards tackling the problem of climate change. However, the potential benefits of utilising wood products to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is not well recognised in the decision-making of governments, public purchasing agencies and individual consumers. This report aims to improve understanding of the benefits of, and linkages between, the use of wood products to mitigate climate change and the capacity to deliver broader human development. Particular focus is placed on Europe and European markets, with less attention given to issues such as the use of wood for energy, and the use of waste wood.Chapter 1 of this report introduces the context and challenges, the main issues under discussion and the key stakeholders. Chapter 2 focuses on forests, wood and climate change, describing the role that forests play in the global carbon cycle, and the various options for mitigating climate change using forestry and wood products. Chapter 3 explains important trends in wood markets and links to forest production, both at a global level and with particular focus on Europe. Chapter 4 compares the greenhouse gas profiles of wood with competing non-wood materials in the construction and packaging markets. It describes the barriers and potential for substituting non-wood products with wood products. Chapter 5 assesses forestry and wood products in the context of broader concerns about sustainable development, focusing on the concept of sustainable forest management (SFM), and describing the extent to which SFM and sustainable development are served by the climate change mitigation agenda and situations where SFM and sustainable development can be impeded by the climate change mitigation agenda. Chapter 6 concludes the report by providing a series of statements (based on evidence in the report) relating to the benefits and costs for sustainable development of using wood products to mitigate climate change.The report finds three main possibilities for mitigating climate change using forestry and wood products:activities that reduce greenhouse gas emission from forests, such as reducing biomass burning and deforestationactivities that help maintain the ability of forests to store carbon, such as management techniques including silviculture and low impact loggingactivities that expand the capacity of forests to store carbon, such as afforestation and agroforestry. Some forest management programmes now include carbon sequestration in their management objectives.[adapted from author]