Analysis of Carbon Sequestration Potential of Forests of the Asian Russia

Authors

  • Elena Gubiy Melentiev Energy Systems Institute of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia

Keywords:

Sequestration Potential of Forests, Sequestration of Human-induced Emissions, Carbon Dioxide Sequestration, Managed Forests in Russia

Abstract

We estimated the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration and release by managed forests in Siberia and the Russian Far East. The data from "National report of the Russian Federation on the inventory of human-induced emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases not controlled under the Montreal Protocol for 1990-2010" served as input data. We calculated the amounts of CO2 taken up and released. The net CO2 flux is a difference between the CO2 sequestrated and CO2 released. The sequestration potential of forests depends on the climatic conditions of the area and the species of woody plants growing there. Many forests die every year, and the CO2 release by forests is caused by clear-cuttings and natural disasters. The highest sequestration rate of forests was observed in Omsk and Irkutsk regions, the lowest in the Chukotka autonomous district and Magadan region. The largest amounts of CO2 were sequestrated in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Krasnoyarsk territory. The highest release rates were observed in the Chukotka autonomous district and the Khabarovsk territory, the lowest – in the Novosibirsk region, Kemerovo region, and Kamchatka territory. We conclude that nearly half of the total CO2 sequestration by managed forests in Russia was contributed by its Asian regions, with 27.5% by the Siberian Federal District and 20.9% by the Russian Far East

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Published

2023-04-30