Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Babis Petsikos

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Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Babis
Petsikos
NATIONAL INVENTORY FOR GREENHOUSE GASES FOR THE
YEARS 1990-2003
JRC 22-23 September 2005
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Completeness of emission / removal inventory
IPCC Source / Sink categories CO2 CH4 N2O
A. Forest Land
1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land v v v
2. Land converted to Forest Land v v v
B. Cropland
1. Cropland remaining Cropland v ?? ??
2. Land converted to Cropland ?? 1) ?? ??
C. Grassland
1. Grassland remaining Grassland v v v
2. Land converted to Grassland v v v
D. Wetlands
1. Wetlands remaining Wetlands 3)
2. Land converted to Wetlands ?? 2) ?? ??
E. Settlements
1. Settlements remaining Settlements 3)
2. Land converted to Settlements ?? ?? ??
F. Other Land
1. Other Land remaining Other Land 3)
2. Land converted to Other Land 3)
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Key categories in the LULUCF sector
IPCC Source / Sink Category Greenhouse Gas Level assessment Trend assessment
Forest Land remaining Forest Land CO2 v v
Cropland remaining Cropland CO2 v v
Land converted to Forest Land CO2 v
The Living Biomass subcategory was identified as
key subcategory in all the three categories
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Methodology for the estimation of emissions /
removals from LULUCF
 IPCC Source / Sink Categories CO2 CO2 CH4 CH4 N2O N2O
  Method Emission factor Method Emission factor Method Emission factor
 A. Forest Land
A1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land D, CS, T2, T11) CS2), D 3) T1 D T1 D
Living Biomass D, T2, CS CS, D T1 D T1 D
Dead Organic Matter T1, T2 CS, D T1 D T1 D
Soils T1
A2. Land converted to Forest Land T1, T2 D T1 D T1 D
 B. Cropland
B1. Cropland remaining Cropland T2, T1 CS, D
Living Biomass T2 CS
Soils T1 D
 C. Grassland
C1. Grassland remaining Grassland T1 D T1 D T1 D
C2. Land converted to Grassland T1 D T1 D T1 D
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Recalculations
Changes in 2005 LULUCF Inventory Implication
Biomass increment has been estimated for its both components (above and below-ground biomass) instead of the one in merchantable volume only. Increase in CO2 removals from sector.
Carbon uptake due to vegetation regrowth after wildfires has been estimated Increase in CO2 removals from sector.
Carbon transferred into and out of the Dead Wood pool in areas burnt by wildfires has been estimated High annual fluctuations of emissions / removals decreased Emissions of CH4 and N2O are lower
Carbon stock changes in living biomass and soils in Croplands remaining Croplands and in Cropland converted to Grassland have been estimated. Increase in CO2 removals from sector.
Carbon losses due to fellings in forest plantations have not been taken into account since this was resulting in overestimation of emissions (biomass increment in plantations was not included in 2004 inventory). Decrease in CO2 emissions from sector.
CO2 emissions from cultivated organic soils have been estimated Increase in CO2 emissions from sector.
Estimates were done in more disaggregated levels. Enhancement of precision of estimations.
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Recalculations
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Representation of land areas
A mix of approach 1 and 2 as described in the GPG
LULUCF was used for representing land areas.

• the first National Forest Inventory (1st NFI)
  prepared by the General Secretariat of Forests
  and Natural Environment (GSFNE, 1992, 1994) of
  the Ministry of Rural Development and Food
• the Agricultural Statistics of Greece of the
  National Statistical Service of Greece (NSSG,
  annual cencus)
• the afforestation registry and statistics of the
  Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food
• the Distribution of the Countrys Area by Basic
  Categories of Land Use of the National
  Statistical Service of Greece (NSSG, decennial
  survey)

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A. Forest Land
Forest Land includes (a) areas larger than 0.5
ha or strips more than 30 m wide with tree crown
cover (stand density) of more than 10 of the
area, or areas with 250 trees of reproductive age
per hectare, able to produce wood or other
products or services and are not used for any
other land-use (b) areas where trees are removed
to below 10 of stand density and are not given
for other land-use (c) reforested areas and (d)
scrublands (areas covered by broadleaved
evergreens)
Emissions / removals of GHG (in CO2 eq) from
different activities (lines) and net removals
from the Forest Land category (bars)
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A1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land
Methodology relies on the carbon flux approach
?CFF annual change in carbon stocks from forest
land remaining forest land, tonnes C yr-1 ?CFFLB
annual change in carbon stocks in living
biomass (includes above- and belowground biomass)
in forest land remaining forest land, tonnes C
yr-1 ?CFFDOM annual change in carbon stocks in
dead organic matter (includes dead wood and
litter) in forest land remaining forest land,
tonnes C yr-1
?CFF ?CFFLB ?CFFDOM
Change in carbon stocks in living biomass
?CFFG annual increase in carbon stocks due to
biomass growth, tonnes C yr-1 ?CFFL annual
decrease in carbon stocks due to biomass loss,
tonnes C yr-1
?CFFLB ?CFFG ?CFFL
A i area of forest land remaining forest land,
by forest type (i 1 to 6), ha GTOTALi average
annual increment rate in total biomass in units
of dry matter, by forest type, tonnes d.m. ha-1
yr-1 CF carbon fraction of dry matter, tonnes C
(tonnes d.m.) -1 ?CFFGR annual increase in
carbon stocks due to regrowth of vegetation on
areas affected by wildfires, by forest type,
tonnes C yr-1
?CFFG ? i (A i GTOTALi) CF ?CFFGR
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A1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land
GW average annual aboveground biomass
increment, tonnes d.m. ha-1 yr-1 R
root-to-shoot ratio appropriate to increments,
dimensionless
GTOTAL GW (1 R)
IV average net annual increment in volume
suitable for industrial processing, m3 ha-1 yr-1
D basic wood density, tonnes d.m. m-3 BEF1
biomass expansion factor for conversion of annual
net increment to aboveground tree biomass
increment, dimensionless
GW IV D BEF1
Forest type A (kha) Iv (m3 ha-1 yr-1) D (t d.m. m-3) BEF1 (dimensionless) R (dimensionless)
Abies sp. 543.31 1.47 0.40 1.15 0.46
Picea abies 2.75 10.69 0.40 1.15 0.23
Pinus sp. other Conifers 883.55 1.23 0.42 1.05 0.46
Fagus sp. 336.64 2.77 0.58 1.20 0.43
Quercus sp. 1.471.84 0.47 0.58 1.20 0.35
Other Deciduous 121.10 2.21 0.55 1.20 0.43
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A1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land
?CFFL LFFG LWildfires
LFFG annual carbon loss due to commercial
fellings and fuelwood gathering, tonnes C
yr-1 LWildfires annual carbon losses due to
wildfires, tonnes C yr-1
LFFG ?i (Hi / UB FGi ) Di BEF2 i CF
Hi annual volume of commercial fellings, by
forest species category (i 1 to 7), underbark
roundwood, m3 yr-1 UB underbark fraction of
tree stem, dimensionless FGi annual volume of
fuelwood gathering, by forest species category,
overbark roundwood, m3 yr-1 BEF2 i biomass
expansion factor for converting volumes of
extracted roundwood to total aboveground biomass
(including bark), by forest species category,
dimensionless
LWildfires
?

• GPG LULUCF recommends that when methods applied
  do not capture removals by regrowth after natural
  disturbances, it is not necessary to report the
  CO2 emissions associated with these events.
• The assumption suggested that removals from
  regrowth offset emissions from wildfires is
  realistic if
• the area burnt fully recover the biomass lost,
  and if
• biomass burnt every year or more properly,
  every decade, because of the high annual
  variation of the phenomenon - remains constant.
  This is because emissions of CO2 in wildfires are
  not synchronous with the rate of uptake by
  regrowing vegetation.

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A1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land
The average area of forest land burnt annually in
1980s and 1990s had increased approximately four
times since 1960s, that means that enhanced
carbon lost lately has not been uptaken yet from
regrowing vegetation. This increase in the area
burnt resulted in net emissions of greenhouse
gases from the phase difference of the two
processes
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A1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land
LWoxid annual decrease in carbon stocks due to
biomass oxidation to the atmosphere, tonnes C
yr-1 LWtrans annual decrease in carbon stocks
due to biomass transferred to dead organic
matter, tonnes C yr-1
LWildfires LWoxid LWtrans
LWoxid ?i Adisturbance i BW i (1 fBL i)
CF LWtrans ?i Adisturbance i BW i fBL i CF
Adisturbance i forest areas affected by
wildfires, by forest type (i 21), ha yr-1 BW i
average biomass stock of forest areas, by
forest type, tonnes d.m. ha-1 fBL i fraction of
biomass transferred to dead organic matter, by
forest type, dimensionless
BW (V D BEF2 BWunderstorey) CF
V average volume of growing stock, overbark, m3
ha-1 D basic wood density, tonnes d.m. m-3 BEF2
biomass expansion factor for converting volumes
of growing stock to total aboveground biomass,
dimensionless BWunderstorey average biomass
stock of understorey vegetation, d.m. ha-1
Where k is the inventory year.
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A1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land
Change in carbon stocks in dead organic matter
?CFFDW annual change in carbon stocks in dead
wood in areas affected by wildfire, tonnes C
yr-1 ?CFFDWinto annual increase in carbon
stocks due to biomass transferred into dead wood
in areas affected by wildfire, tonnes C
yr-1 ?CFFDWout annual decrease in carbon stocks
due to dead wood transferred out of pool in areas
affected by wildfire, tonnes C yr-1
?CFFDW ?CFFDWinto ?CFFDWout
?CFFDWinto LWtrans


Non - CO2 greenhouse gas emissions
CH4 Emissions LWoxid 0.012 16/12 CO
Emissions LWoxid 0.06 28/12 N2O Emissions
LWoxid (N/C ratio) 0.007 44/28 NOx
Emissions LWoxid (N/C ratio) 0.121 46/14
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A1. Forest Land remaining Forest Land
GHG emissions and removals (in CO2 eq) from
wildfires (various processes and their net
effect) during 1990 - 2003
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A2. Land converted to Forest Land
?CLF annual change in carbon stocks in land
converted to forest land, tonnes C yr-1 ?CLFLB
annual change in carbon stocks in living biomass
(includes above- and belowground biomass) in land
converted to forest land, tonnes C yr-1 ?CLFDOM
annual change in carbon stocks in dead organic
matter (includes dead wood and litter) in land
converted to forest land, tonnes C yr-1 ?CLFSoils
annual change in carbon stocks in soils in land
converted to forest land, tonnes C yr-1
?CLF (?CLFLB ?CLFDOM ?CLFSoils)
?CLFLB (?CLFGROWTH ?CLFCONVERSION ?CLFLOSS)
?CLFGROWTH annual increase in carbon stocks in
living biomass due to biomass growth in land
converted to forest land, tonnes C
yr-1 ?CLFCONVERSION annual change in carbon
stocks in living biomass due to actual conversion
to forest land, tonnes C yr-1 ?CLFLOSS annual
decrease in carbon stocks due to biomass loss in
land converted to forest land, tonnes C yr-1
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A2. Land converted to Forest Land
Change in carbon stocks in dead organic matter
?CLFSoils ?CLFMineral ?i (SOCREF
SOCCropland i ) Aaff i / Taff
?CLFMineral annual change in carbon stocks in
mineral soils for inventory year, tonnes C
yr-1 SOCREF i reference carbon stock, under
native, unmanaged forest on a given soil, tonnes
C ha-1 SOCCropland i soil organic carbon stock
on previous cropland use, by crop type, tonnes C
yr-1 Aaff i area of the cropland afforested, by
crop type, ha Taff duration of the transition
from SOCCropland to SOCREF, yr
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B1. Cropland remaining Cropland
Areas of cropland in Greece since 1963 (fallow
land excluded)
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B1. Cropland remaining Cropland
?CCCLB annual change in carbon stocks in living
biomass in cropland remaining cropland and
changes crop type, tonnes C yr-1 ?CCCG annual
increase in carbon stocks due to biomass growth
in new plantations, tonnes C yr-1 ?CCCL annual
decrease in carbon stocks due to biomass loss in
eradicated crops, tonnes C yr-1
?CCC ?CCCLB ?CCCSoils
?CCCLB ?CCCG ?CCCL
Aplantedij area where new plantations were
established, by crop type (i 17), ha yr-1 GWi
growth rate in new plantations, by crop type,
tonnes d.m. ha-1 yr-1 CF carbon fraction of dry
matter, tonnes C (tonnes d.m.) -1 k the
inventory year BM i average biomass stock at
maturity, by crop type, tonnes d.m. ha-1 ? i
average replacement cycle, by crop type,
yr Aeradicatedi area of crop eradicated, by
crop type (i 17), ha yr-1
?CCCL ?i Aeradicatedi BM i
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B1. Cropland remaining Cropland
SOC0 soil organic carbon stock in the inventory
year, tonnes C yr-1 SOC(0-T) soil organic
carbon stock T years prior to the inventory,
tonnes C yr-1 T inventory time period, yr A
land area of each parcel, ha i represents the set
of cropland types or crop type categories, i 13
SOCREF the reference soil organic carbon
stock, tonnes C yr-1 FLU stock change factor
for land-use or land-use change type FMG stock
change factor for management regime FI stock
change factor for input of organic matter
Change in carbon stocks in soils
?CCCSoils ?CCCMineral ?CCCOrganic
?CCCMineral ?i (SOC0 A) i - ?i (SOC(0-T)
A) i / T
SOC SOCREF FLU FMG FI
?CCCOrganic CO2 emissions from cultivated
organic soils in cropland remaining cropland,
tonnes C yr-1 AOrganic land area of cultivated
organic soils, ha EF emission factor for
cultivated organic soils, tonnes C ha-1yr-1
?CCCOrganic AOrganic EF
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C1. Grassland remaining Grassland
The living biomass pool in grassland includes
above- and belowground carbon stocks in woody and
herbaceous (grasses and forbs) vegetation.
Grasslands in Greece are extensively managed
without significant management improvements (e.g.
species changes, irrigation, fertilisation) and
management practices applied are generally
static. Hence, the Tier 1 assumption that is no
change in biomass stocks was followed and
aboveground grass biomass was only considered for
estimating emissions from wildfires. The
methods used to estimate emissions from wildfires
in grasslands are these described in Forest land
section, with the difference that all carbon in
the aboveground biomass is assumed to be released
to the atmosphere upon disturbance (no transfer
to dead organic pool is considered, fBL 0).
However, CO2 released is assumed to be removed by
photosynthesis of vegetation regrowing during the
subsequent year and therefore only emissions of
non-CO2 gases are reported.
C2. Land converted to Grassland
Croplands that have been abandoned and converted
to grassland were considered in this section. It
was assumed that biomass stocks do not change
after conversion, and hence carbon stock changes
in living biomass were zero. Carbon stock changes
in soil were estimated and reported under the
category Cropland remaining Cropland.
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Net GHG emissions / removals (in kt CO2 eq) from
the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry sector
by category (bars) and total (line) for the
period 1990 2003

• QA/QC plan was applied
• Uncertainties were quantified according to Tier 1