Greenhouse gas and carbon management in forests

CSIRO is working both in Australia and overseas to quantify the role of forests in greenhouse gas mitigation.

• 7 January 2008 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Biosequestration 
• How much carbon?
• Areas of research
• Collaboration

Biosequestration

Industry, government and non-government organisations are increasingly considering forest establishment and management to help reduce the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 

As forests grow they take in carbon from the atmosphere and store it in their live components and soil.

Biosequestration of carbon is a natural complement to other technological developments, such as reducing emissions from transport and stationary power facilities.

Planting trees on degraded sites can also achieve other positive outcomes such as:

• biodiversity enhancement
• salinity mitigation 
• increased profitability.

Biosequestration can be accomplished by:

• planting more trees
• reducing the rate of deforestation.
• protecting existing forests from disturbances such a fire.

Increased mitigation of emissions can be achieved from forests by:

• substituting for fossil fuels (bioenergy)
• providing long-term storage of carbon in wood products.

How much carbon?

The emergence of worldwide carbon markets is increasing the demand for greater reliability in carbon predictions.

With the potential carbon credit value of afforestation and reforestation projects around the world estimated to be worth about five billion US dollars, it is becoming increasingly important to quantify carbon uptake in forests, and to understand the factors that affect both carbon sequestration and forest growth.

Carbon accounting systems, the quantification of ecosystem services and the development of investment-driven solutions are becoming important tools for a range of stakeholders in establishing new 'carbon forests'.

Areas of research

CSIRO is undertaking a range of research projects to facilitate the use of forests as part of greenhouse gas mitigation and investment strategies.

These projects include:

• investigating soil carbon change under afforestation
• modelling growth in intensively managed plantations and carbon sequestration in low rainfall plantations and environmental plantings
• measuring and modelling net ecosystem carbon exchange in forests
• estimating the effects of fire on greenhouse gas emissions
• developing tools to guide investment in commercial environmental forestry
• calibrating Australia’s National Carbon Accounting Toolbox for use overseas.

Collaboration

CSIRO has strong links with relevant national and international organisations in both Australia and New Zealand.

Our researchers collaborate with and consult to private industry and governments on a broad range of greenhouse gas mitigation issues.

Find out more about CSIRO’s work with Climate Change.