Harmonized methods for assessing carbon sequestration in European forests : results of the project "Study under EEC 2152/2003 Forest Focus regulation on developing harmonized methods for assessing carbon sequestration in European forests"

The present study was developed in the context of Regulation (EC) 2152/2003 on the monitoring of forest and environmental interactions, the so-called "Forest Focus" Regulation. The specific objectives of this study on "Climate change impact and carbon sequestration in European forests" were: - Strengthening and harmonizing the existing national systems in such a way that they meet the requirements of international monitoring and reporting of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and sinks in the forestry sector. - Improving the comparability, transparency and accuracy of the annual greenhouse gas inventory reports of the Land Use and Land Use Change in Forestry (LULUCF) sector of Member States, as implemented under the EU Monitoring Mechanism. The results of this study set the basis for future reporting GHG and looked into the comparability of data in several European countries in which information was not readily available. It represents a step towards addressing the challenges of GHG inventories and the reporting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto protocol related to forest land and forest activities.