Guide to topics under LULUCF negotiations

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Harvested Wood Products

Background

The carbon cycle is affected when forests are harvested. CO₂ is released during harvesting and manufacture of wood products and by the use and disposal of wood. Much of the wood that is harvested remains in products for differing lengths of time. An approach for estimating the net CO2 emissions from forest harvesting and wood products was forwarded to the IPCC Plenary in 1996, as part of the Revised 1996 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. The IPCC Plenary then requested further technical work on approaches for estimating emissions from harvested wood products (HWP) and sought guidance from the SBSTA on policy implications. The 2006 IPCC guidelines provides guidance on how to estimate and report the contribution of these harvested wood products (HWP) to annual CO₂ emissions/ removals. HWP is normally reported by product categories with different life-cycles such as paper, wood panels and sawn wood and include emissions from the decay of existing HWPs and the increase in carbon stocks through addition of new HWPs. Emissions from the loss of carbon stored in firewood, wood pellets and wood chips with a short lifespan are normally considered as instantaneous oxidation and not reported as HWP.

The reporting of LULUCF activities is a technically complex matter, which has been negotiated by Parties over many years. The spotlights below on this page give an overview of specific topics under these negotiations and the related documents and reports published by the UNFCCC. Negotiations on reporting and accounting of LULUCF activities under the Kyoto Protocol are treated on a dedicated page.

This page gives an overview of negotiations on HWP under the Convention dating back to SBSTA 4 (December 1996).

Key documents

FCCC/SBSTA/2006/5	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its twenty-fourth session, held at Bonn from 18 to 26 May 2006 (paras 65-70)
FCCC/SBSTA/2005/10	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its twenty-third session, held at Bonn from 28 November to 6 December 2005 (paras 31-36)
FCCC/SBSTA/2005/INF.7	Information on harvested wood products contained in previous submissions from Parties and in national greenhouse gas inventory reports. Note by the secretariat
FCCC/SBSTA/2005/MISC.9	Data and information on changes in carbon stocks and emissions of greenhouse gases from harvested wood products and experiences with the use of relevant guidelines and guidance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Submissions from Parties
FCCC/SBSTA/2005/MISC.9/Add.1	Data and information on changes in carbon stocks and emissions of greenhouse gases from harvested wood products and experiences with the use of relevant guidelines and guidance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Submissions from Parties. Addendum
FCCC/SBSTA/2005/MISC.9/Add.2	Data and information on changes in carbon stocks and emissions of greenhouse gases from harvested wood products and experiences with the use of relevant guidelines and guidance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Submissions from Parties. Addendum
FCCC/SBSTA/2004/13	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its twenty-first session, held at Buenos Aires from 6 to 14 December 2004 (paragraph 29-33)
FCCC/SBSTA/2004/6	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its twentieth session, held at Bonn, from 16 to 25 June 2004 (paras 20-22)
FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.11	Report on the workshop on harvested wood products. Note by the secretariat
FCCC/SBSTA/2004/MISC.9	Issues relating to harvested wood products. Submissions from Parties
FCCC/SBSTA/2004/MISC.9/Add.1	Issues relating to harvested wood products. Submissions from Parties. Addendum
FCCC/SBSTA/2003/15	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its nineteenth session, held at Milan from 1 to 9 December 2003, (paragraph 27(a)-(e))
FCCC/SBSTA/2003/10	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its eighteenth session, held at Bonn, from 4 to 13 June 2003 (paragraph 26 (e))
FCCC/TP/2003/7	Estimation, reporting and accounting of harvested wood products. Technical paper
FCCC/TP/2003/7/Corr.1	Estimation, reporting and accounting of harvested wood products. Technical paper. Corrigendum
FCCC/SBSTA/2003/MISC.1	Methodological issues. Good practice guidance and other information on land use, land-use change and forestry. Implications of harvested wood products accounting. Submissions from Parties
FCCC/SBSTA/2003/MISC.1/Add.1	Methodological issues. Good practice guidance and other information on land use, land-use change and forestry. Implications of harvested wood products accounting. Submissions from Parties. Addendum
FCCC/SBSTA/2003/MISC.1/Add.2	Methodological issues. Good practice guidance and other information on land use, land-use change and forestry. Implications of harvested wood products accounting. Submissions from Parties. Addendum
FCCC/SBSTA/2001/8	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its fifteenth session, held at Marrakesh from 29 October to 6 November 2001 (paras. 26-29)
FCCC/SBSTA/2001/2	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its Fourteenth Session Bonn, 24-27 July 2001 (paras. 19-21)
FCCC/SBSTA/2001/MISC.1	Reports on inter-sessional activities issues related to emissions from forest harvesting and wood products. Submissions from Parties. Note by the secretariat
FCCC/SBSTA/1999/14	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on its eleventh session Bonn, 25 October - 5 November 1999 (paras. 66-69)
FCCC/SBSTA/1996/20	Report of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice on the work of its fourth session, Geneva, 16-18 December 1996 (para. 33)

SBSTA 26 (May 2007)

At its twenty-sixth session (FCCC/SBSTA/2007/4, paragraphs 59-61), issues related to harvested wood products (HWP) were considered together with the SBSTA agenda item on IPCC guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories. The SBSTA recalled that, at its twenty-fourth session, it had invited Parties in a position to do so to voluntarily report on HWP in their national inventories in a manner consistent with current UNFCCC reporting guidelines (FCCC/SBSTA/2006/5, paragraph 68). At its twenty-sixth session, the SBSTA decided to discuss reporting of HWP in the context of its consideration of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines.

In addition to issues on reporting, the SBSTA also considered other issues relating to HWP. These issues, including socio-economic and environmental implications and several potential impacts arising from the application of the approaches for accounting of emissions and removals relating to HWP, were raised at SBSTA 21 (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/13, paragraph 31). At this session, the SBSTA agreed to consider these other issues relating to HWP in the context of the consideration of broader issues relating to land use, land-use change and forestry, at future sessions.

SBSTA 24 (May 2006)

At the request of some Parties during SBSTA 24 (FCCC/SBSTA/2006/5, paragraphs 65-70), the planned consultations for the agenda item on HWP was merged with the consultations for the agenda item on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories (FCCC/SBSTA/2006/5, paragraphs 59-64).

At this session, SBSTA invited Parties in a position to do so to voluntarily report on HWP in their national inventories in a manner consistent with current UNFCCC reporting guidelines. The SBSTA agreed to return to the consideration of this item at its twenty-sixth session under two separate context:

to discuss reporting of harvested wood products in the context of its consideration of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines; and
to also consider other issues associated with harvest wood products.

SBSTA 23 (December 2005)

SBSTA 23 (FCCC/SBSTA/2005/10, paragraphs 31-36) further considered methodological issues relating to the estimation of changes in carbon stocks and GHG emissions from harvested wood products (HWP). Data and information on changes in carbon stocks and emissions of GHG from HWP and experiences with the use of relevant guidelines and good practice guidance of the IPCC to generate such data and information were submitted by Parties (FCCC/SBSTA/2005/MISC.9, Add. 1 and Add.2). FCCC/SBSTA/2005/INF.7 presents information on HWP contained in previous submissions from Parties and in national inventory reports for consideration. The SBSTA will continue the consideration of this item at its twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth sessions.

SBSTA 21 (December 2004)

The workshop on harvested wood products (HWP) took place in Lillehammer, Norway from 30 August to 1 September 2004. Fifty-nine representatives of Parties and organizations attended the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to increase the understanding of issues relating to HWP. Discussions covered definitions and scope, and methods for estimating and reporting emissions and removals from HWP and approaches for accounting and their implications. A workshop report, FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.11, prepared by the secretariat, was considered by the SBSTA at its twenty-first session.

At the same session, the SBSTA noted the need to further analyse the socio-economic and environmental implications, impacts on forest carbon stocks and emissions in Annex I and non-Annex I Parties, impacts on sustainable forest management, and impacts on trade, of reporting GHG emissions resulting from the production, use and disposal of HWP, including those arising from the application of the accounting approaches. These issues were to be further considered at SBSTA 23.

SBSTA 20 (June 2004)

At SBSTA 20 (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/6, paragraphs 20-22), the SBSTA took note of the submissions by Parties (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/MISC.9 and Add.1), that were requested for at SBSTA 19, as well as the information in the technical paper. Parties, at this session, also agreed on specific topics for the workshop on HWP. The workshop was to take into consideration the information contained in the submissions by Parties, in the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines and the IPCC good practice guidance for LULUCF.

SBSTA 19 (December 2003)

SBSTA 19 (FCCC/SBSTA/2003/15, paragraph 27(a)-(e)) considered the item on harvested wood products. The SBSTA took note of the information contained in the technical paper, FCCC/TP/2003/7 and Corr.1, as well as the appendix on methodologies relating to harvested wood products in the IPCC GPG LULUCF, the methodologies relating to HWP in the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines and the references in the UNFCCC reporting guidelines on annual inventories, and the methods for estimating and reporting of HWP currently used by Annex I Parties in their national inventory reports.

At this session, the SBSTA also requested the secretariat to organize a workshop on harvested wood products prior to twenty-first session. Parties were invited to submit their views on issues relating to HWP, and their views may take into account the information contained in the technical paper, the appendix on HWP to the IPCC good practice guidance on LULUCF and any other relevant information. Parties were also invited to include national data and methodological and other information on changes in carbon stocks and emissions of GHG relating to HWP, stating the approach or approaches used for this purpose.

SBSTA 15 (October 2001)

SBSTA 15 (FCCC/SBSTA/2001/8, paragraph 29, sub-paragraphs (g), (j) - (m)) considered issues related to LULUCF; namely "development of good practice guidance and other information for the land use, land-use change and forestry sector" and "issues relating to emissions from forest harvesting and wood products". At that time, the SBSTA noted the intention of the IPCC to include harvested wood in the development of good practice guidance, while maintaining consistency with decision 3/CP.5. The SBSTA also noted that such work should not pre-empt future discussions and work and any relevant decisions relating to HWP.

Interested Parties were encouraged to continue their work on accounting for emissions from HWP and to undertake informal collaboration on aspects of this topic. Parties were invited to submit their views on the implications of harvested wood products accounting, including views on different approaches and methodologies (FCCC/SBSTA/2003/MISC.1, Add.1 and Add.2). These views were considered by SBSTA at its eighteenth session (FCCC/SBSTA/2003/10, paragraph26(e)).

At this same session, the SBSTA requested the secretariat to prepare a technical paper on harvested wood products. This technical paper (FCCC/TP/2003/7 and Corr.1) took into account socio-economic and environmental impacts, including impacts on developing countries and was based on, inter alia, submissions from Parties, the outcome of the IPCC expert meeting in Dakar, any technical information related to the work of Parties in accounting for emissions from HWP, and other relevant sources of information. The technical paper was prepared with the assistance of a limited number of experts from the UNFCCC roster of experts.

SBSTA 14 (July 2001)

At its fourteenth session (FCCC/SBSTA/2001/2, paragraphs 19-21), the SBSTA took note of these submissions (FCCC/SBSTA/2001/MISC.1) and decided to consider this matter further at its fifteenth session.

SBSTA 11 (October/November 1999)

Parties started to consider the methodological issues relating to forest harvesting and wood products (FCCC/SBSTA/1999/14, paragraphs 66 and 69). Parties provided their views on approaches for estimating and accounting for emissions of CO2 from forest harvesting and wood products, taking into account the outcome of the IPCC expert meeting.

SBSTA 4 (December 1996)

SBSTA 4 (FCCC/SBSTA/1996/20, paragraph 33) welcomed the convening by the IPCC of an expert meeting that evaluated approaches for estimating net emissions of CO2 from forest harvesting and wood products.

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Afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM

The COP has adopted a decision which includes special rules to ensure that the accounting of removals from these projects are in accordance with the objective of the Kyoto Protocol and that projects do not generate negative impacts in the regions where they are implemented.

The agreed text is based on the modalities and procedures for a clean development mechanism and includes guidance for issues that are specific to afforestation and reforestation activities.

Accounting of removals and baseline methodologies: Parties agreed on a system to calculate the removals by afforestation and reforestation projects which consists on a simple formula. “Net anthropogenic greenhouse gas removals by sinks” is the amount of carbon that will generate carbon units and is defined as the “actual net greenhouse gas removals by sinks” minus the “baseline net greenhouse gas removals by sinks” minus “leakage”. “Actual greenhouse gas removals by sinks” is the actual removals (due to the project) minus any emission caused by the implementation of the project. “Leakage” are those emissions of greenhouse gases outside the area of the project as a result of its implementation. Finally, the baseline refers to the changes in carbon stocks in the area of the project that would have occurred if the project had not been implemented (in other words, the scenario that reasonably represents these changes in carbon stocks). The establishment of baselines follows the same principles as in the CDM; Parties agreed on three approaches:

The existing or historical changes in carbon stocks within the boundary of the project;
The changes in carbon stocks from a land-use that represents an economically attractive course of action; and
The changes in carbon stocks from the most likely land use at the time the project starts.

Non-permanence: Non permanence refers to the temporary nature of the removals, given that carbon contained in the biomass of trees is at a continuous risk of being emitted into the atmosphere. In order to address this problem, Parties agreed that projects will issue temporary credits that will be replaced by the Annex I Party that has retired them. This replacement has to take place when a mandatory monitoring report sent by project participants indicates a decrease in the stocks of carbon of the project, when the period of validity of the credits has expired, or when the mandatory report has not been sent. Project participants have to choose between the issuance of two different units that were created. First, tCERs (or temporary CERs), which expire at the end of the commitment period subsequent to the one among which they were issued. Second, lCERs (or long-term CERs), which expire at the end of the crediting period of the afforestation reforestation project activity. For replacing tCERs or lCERs, an Annex I Party has to transfer a valid unit (which can be AAUs, CERs, ERUs, AAUs, tCERs or lCERs) into a replacement account created for this purpose.

Environmental and socio-economic impacts: Parties wanted to ensure that afforestation and reforestation projects do not generate negative environmental and socio-economic impacts. In order to address this concern, project participants are requested to submit documentation on the analysis of these impacts, including impacts on biodiversity and natural ecosystems. If they, or the host Party, consider the impacts significant, a socio-economic or environmental impact assessment consistent with national regulation has to be undertaken, including remedial measures to address them. The guidance for the project design document requests project participants to include information on specific environmental issues, such as hydrology, soils, risk of fires, pests and diseases, and social issues, such as local communities, indigenous peoples, land tenure, local employment and others.

In addition to the above rules, the following elements are also part of the decision:

Project participants can choose a crediting period of either 20 years which may be renewed at least twice, or 30 years with no renewal;
Specific rules for the issuance, transfer, retirement and replacement were developed;
Small-scale afforestation and reforestation project activities were defined as those that are expected to result in net anthropogenic greenhouse gas removals by sinks of less than 8 kilotonnes of CO₂ per year and are developed or implemented by low-income communities and individuals as determined by the host Party. A decision on simplified modalities for these projects, and on measures to facilitate their implementation was adopted at COP 10.

COP 10 (December 2004)

COP 10 adopted a decision on simplified modalities and procedures for small-scale afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM and measures to facilitate their implementation (Decision 14/CP.10) which included a draft COP/MOP decision on this matter. This decision defined small-scale afforestation or reforestation project activities as those that are expected to result in net anthropogenic GHG removals by sinks of less than 8 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Excess removals are not eligible for the issuance of tCERs or lCERs. These project activities should directly benefit low-income community and individuals. The COP/MOP, at its first session, adopted the decision on this matter (6/CMP.1).

For more information and latest developments on afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM, please refer to the following link.

SBSTA 21 (December 2004)

SBSTA 21 (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/13, paragraphs 39–41) continued to consider modalities and procedures for small-scale afforestation and reforestation project small-scale afforestation and reforestation project activities, including a proposal for a draft decision on simplified activities under the clean development mechanism and measures to facilitate their implementation (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.12) and forwarded a draft decision on this matter for adoption at COP 10.

SBSTA 20 (June 2004)

SBSTA 20 (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/6, paragraphs 29–33) took note of a technical paper prepared by the secretariat (FCCC/TP/2004/2) on simplified modalities and procedures for small-scale afforestation and reforestation projects under the CDM. On the basis of submissions by Parties contained in documents FCCC/SBSTA/2004/MISC.3 and FCCC/SBSTA/2004/MISC.4, and of inputs by Parties during the SBSTA, a draft text for a decision on simplified modalities and procedures for small-scale afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM and on measures to facilitate the implementation of these project activities was prepared.

COP 9 (December 2003)

COP 9 adopted a decision on “Modalities and procedures for afforestation and reforestation activities under the CDM” (Decision 19/CP.9). The COP/MOP, at its first session, adopted the decision on this matter as decision 5/CMP.1.

Initiated at SBSTA 16, Parties addressed and resolved a number of issues, namely, non-permanence, baselines, additionality and leakage, and socio-economic and environmental impacts including impacts on biodiversity and natural ecosystems through this decision. Aside from the adopted modalities and procedures, the COP requested the SBSTA to develop simplified modalities and procedures for small-scale afforestation and reforestation projects under the CDM and recommended a draft decision for adoption by COP 10.

SBSTA 16 (June 2002)

SBSTA 16 (FCCC/SBSTA/2002/6, paragraphs 33(a)–(c)) initiated the discussions regarding definitions and modalities for including afforestation and reforestation project activities under the CDM in the first commitment period. The discussions took into account the issues of non-permanence, additionality, leakage, uncertainties and socio-economic and environmental impacts, including impacts on biodiversity and natural ecosystems, and were guided by the principles stated in the preamble to decision 16/CMP.1.

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Sunbeam forest

This page gives an overview on the negotiations of this topic.

SBSTA 21 (December 2004)

In response to a mandate by COP 7 (paragraph 2(b) in decision 11/CP.7), SBSTA 21 (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/13, paragraph 35) discussed the possible application of biome-specific forest definitions for the second and subsequent commitment periods. It noted that a decision on this subject is not needed at this stage and decided to consider the matter at a future session.

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Deforestation

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SBSTA 20 (June 2004)

SBSTA 20 (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/6, paragraphs 23–24) took note of the submissions by Parties and recognized the importance of the information contained in the IPCC report to its work and decided to consider these issues at a future session.

SBSTA 19 (December 2003)

SBSTA 19 (FCCC/SBSTA/2003/15, paragraph 24(f)–(g)) welcomed the report by the IPCC entitled Definitions and Methodological Options to Inventory Emissions from Direct Human-Induced Degradation of Forests and Devegetation of Other Vegetation Types and decided to further consider the information in this report at its twentieth session. Initial views by Parties on this report, including on possible definitions to account for anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions resulting from direct human-induced degradation and devegetation activities which could be used in the context of the Kyoto Protocol, are contained in FCCC/SBSTA/2004/MISC.5.

COP 7 (October 2001)

COP 7 invited the IPCC to undertake methodological work and prepare reports on two areas, in addition to the report on good practice guidance for LULUCF. The first of these reports related to definitions for direct human-induced degradation of forests and devegetation and methodological options to estimate and report emissions. The other was to cover practical methodologies to factor-out direct human-induced changes in carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions and removals from indirect human-induced and natural effects (e.g. CO2 fertilization and N deposition) and effects due to past practices in forests.

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This page gives an overview on the negotiations of this topic.

SBSTA 21 (December 2004)

Parties provided views on these issues and other related LULUCF issues (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/MISC.8 and Add.1). SBSTA 21 did not finish consideration of this item and decided to continue its consideration at a future session (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/13, paragraph 34).

SBSTA 19 (December 2003)

SBSTA 19 (FCCC/SBSTA/2003/15, paragraph 24(h)–(k)) noted the aim (in paragraph 1(h) in decision 16/CMP.1) to address the issue that accounting excludes removals resulting from elevated carbon dioxide concentrations above their pre-industrial level, indirect nitrogen disposition and effects of past practices and activities before 1990. In its response to the COP 7 request, the IPCC indicated that the current scientific understanding of the processes did not allow the elaboration of practical methodologies.