Estimation of the greenhouse gas balance of the wood sector and development of climate change mitigation strategies for society, industry and policy

We work methods to estimate the biogenic carbon storage effects in harvested wood products, implement those in the course of the annual greenhouse gas inventory reporting, and develop climate protection strategies on the basis of our monitoring.

As part of its international climate policy, Germany has committed itself to compiling annual greenhouse gas balances. With the beginning of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol from 2013 onwards, the mandatory inclusion of the emission assessment of the material use of wood was also decided.

We advise policymakers on the formulation of national and international rules for the consideration of the forest and timber sectors in climate policy and play a leading role in shaping these rules in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We work closely with the other Thünen institutes and the Federal Environment Agency to implement the requirements of the annual national greenhouse gas reporting.

At the same time, we investigate issues around different ways of using wood, describe possible scenarios for the development of the sector’s emissions budget and develop strategies for improving the carbon footprint of wood material use.