Does land-use change affect the forest carbon balance?
The establishment of new forests (called afforestation) on abandoned agricultural land or other non-forest areas increases the forest area and creates a carbon sink while the new forest grows. If the new forest is maintained, it becomes a long-term store of carbon. It will eventually also have more trees that can be harvested sustainably, thus increasing the amount of wood available to meet society’s needs. In contrast, deforestation—the permanent clearing of forest for non-forest land uses—causes considerable carbon dioxide emissions. With less forest area remaining, long-term sustainable harvest levels decrease. Globally, the carbon dioxide released through deforestation, mostly in tropical forests, accounts for about 20% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, more than what accumulates from all modes of transportation. Reducing deforestation would therefore be one effective way to reduce human emissions of greenhouse gases.
