Carbon and forest management

The ability to "trap" CO2 in the form of carbon through plant growth, particularly in forest ecosystems, is an important tool to combat the increase of atmospheric CO2. This report: (1) synthesizes existing information regarding the relationship between forest resources and carbon, as it relates to the issue of climate change; and (2) provides the framework and guidelines for mission staff assessment of host-country trends and activities in relation to forests and carbon. The report includes four main sections. Section 1 describes carbon, its role in the environment, and how it is related to climate change. This section also provides a brief overview of the world"s current and projected energy needs. Section 2 presents the relationship between forests and carbon, and introduces a range of forestry-related mitigation strategies. Section 3 summarizes the major international efforts taken to address climate change under the auspices of the United Nations. Section 4 provides guidelines for assessing the value of forest carbon at the mission level and is divided into three parts: assessing forest carbon at the national level; examining forest carbon links to mission programs outside the natural resources sector; and estimating the forest carbon value of the natural resources program. This section contains suggestions for locating further information on these subjects, as well as for carrying out the assessment. A series of technical appendices is included. (Author abstract, modified)