Due to morden industrialization, the use of fossil fuels has significantly increased. Thereby, climate change began to be severe under the influence of the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In response, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) was adopted in 1992 and full-scale efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions began. UNFCCC highlighted the importance of forests as a unique source of carbon sink in the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, adopting the process of land use, land use change and forestry, at the third conference of the parties. Forests can absorb greenhouse gases additionally through the application of carbon offset projects, which are less constrained than projects in other industries. Also, there is a little variation for the future uncertainty, while securing a certain amount of absorption continuously. In addition, the expansion of forest carbon sinks through afforestation and forest management can improve ecosystem conservation, water resource enhancement, clean air, and soil erosion prevention, which can provide a variety of public interests.

Maintaining and increasing the retention of forest carbon sinks can be divided into five categories. First, afforestation/reforestation and improved forest management can expand carbon sinks. Second, expanding the use of wood products as raw materials can increase carbon sequestration. Third, expanding the use of forest biomass energy through reducing the use of fossil fuels can reduce carbon emissions. Fourth, preventing deforestation and degradation from forest fire and pest disasters can maintain the retention of carbon sinks. Finally, afforestation/reforestation and REDD + projects allow to obtain carbon credits abroad.

As a preliminary research on a comprehensive plan for the promotion of carbon sinks, we suggest specific strategies and action plans for these five measures. In addition, a survey was conducted by experts to examine the feasibility and development, in order to provide information on the priorities of those strategies and plans. As results, among five strategies, the expansion of domestic forest carbon sink is the most important one, followed by expanding the use of woody biomass energy, expanding the use of wood products, preventing deforestation and forest degradation, and obtaining carbon credits through afforestation/reforestation and REDD+ projects abroad in order.

Domestic forests as a carbon sink have greatly increased the capability of absorbing carbon dioxide over the next five years by implementing key strategies and action plans suggested in this study. The expansion of forest carbon sinks can reduce 880,000 tCO2, that is about the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from 110,000 cars a year. The expansion of forest biomass energy use over the next five years can replace 650,000 toe (crude oil) that is the amount of $4.7 billion. In addition, through the expansion of domestic use of harvested wood products like lumber over the next five years, 3.2 million tons of carbon dioxide can be reduced.

In addition to ways to increase the domestic forest carbon sinks, it is important to develop the infrastructure of forest carbon offset programs for action. Domestic forest carbon offset schemes need to be established systematically in the beginning. Also, R&D has a critical role in forest carbon sink enhancement to improve the capability of forest carbon sink by developing new seeds, highly-efficient forest bioenergy sources, technology of saving byproduct-gathering costs.

Researchers: Kyung-Taek Min, Yo-Han Lee, Hyun-Deok Seok, Ja-Choon Koo,
Myeong-Eun Kim, So-Hee Park
Research Period: 2013. 8 ～ 2013. 12
E-mail address: minkt@krei.re.kr