Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In addition, forest harvesting for wood removals surely contributes to the limi-
tation of Carbon losses due to biotic and abiotic disturbances such as forest fires,
pest and diseases.
In Italy, the carbon stock in wood products is growing and the same trend is
expected in the coming decades even if, in a longer perspective, an equilibrium
will be probably reached (Ciccarese and Kloehn
2010
).
In Italy, the application of the GHGs accounting methods (IPCC
2003
) suffers
both for the lack of accuracy of wood harvesting official statistics and for the high
level of uncertainty in the definition of wood products lifespan.
Accounting, reporting, and policy challenges exist both nationally and interna-
tionally to determine how to report, credit and structure policy to provide forest
management incentives that result in appropriate use of wood product C-storage or
the substitution effect as GHG mitigation/management strategies. The challenges
are complex (UNFCC
2003
), but must be dealt with in order to allow market forces
to properly recognize the value of forests in the reduction of GHG emissions.
In any case, regardless of the decisions of the UNFCCC on harvested wood prod-
ucts accounting, increasing the use of wood products for energy and building pur-
poses may contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions and to a more sustainable
development. It is therefore essential to increase dissemination actions informing
potential customers of technical and environmental advantages of wood materials.
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