Development of a National Forest Resources Database under the Kyoto Protocol

Transcription

1 Development of a National Forest Resources Database under the Kyoto Protocol Research Institute Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Background and Purpose In order to mitigate global warming, the Kyoto Protocol indicates the reduction target of the greenhouse gas for each developed country. Japan targets for 6% emissions reduction in the first commitment period ( ) based on 1990 levels. On the other hand, in consideration of the absorption of the global greenhouse gas by the forest, up to 3.8% of equivalent emissions reduction will be achieved by the absorption through afforestation, reforestation, and forest management since Because of these factors, the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute developed a method for accounting and reporting the absorption rate by forests and a national forest resources database to implement these toward Kyoto Protocol targets. Achievement Development of a method for accounting and reporting forest absorption in Japan In response to the Kyoto Protocol, we examined accounting and reporting methods of forest absorption in Japan and developed the following techniques. (1) The target forests were defined to have minimum tree height of 5m, minimum tree crown cover of 30%, minimum land area of 0.3 ha, and minimum forest width of 20m. (2) The area of afforestation, reforestation, and deforestation since 1990 were detected by interpretation of orthophotos and the high -resolution satellite images on 500 m grids. (3) Forest management includes regeneration like planting, tending like weeding, thinning, and clearcutting" in managed forests and "protection and conservation measures like logging controls based on the law" in unmanaged forests. The forests where these activities were carried out since 1990 are the calculation targets. (4) Based on the change of the carbon stock from 2008 to 2012, the absorption quantity was estimated. The necessary coefficients such as biomass expansion factor and volume density for estimating carbon were clarified (5) The century model adjusted for use in Japan was used to estimate carbon of dead wood, litter, and soil.

2 (6) The study focused on the evaluation of uncertainties and verification of calculated values. The development of the national forest resources database The national forest resource database, which meets the requirements listed above, has been developed (Figure 1). This database can be used for the calculation and reporting of the absorption rate by forests in Japan. As indicated in figure 2, the national forest resources database is based on government information such as forest registers and forest planning maps and is designed in a way that it may be used for verification by crosschecking the actual survey of the forest resources monitoring survey by the Forestry Agency on information on accumulation and growth and crosschecking orthophotos and the high resolution satellite images on location information. This database has various data covering forests in Japan such as forest registers, forest planning maps, and orthophotos and is capable to analyze these (Table 1 and Figure 3). The above-mentioned results were reflected in the Inventory report based on UNFCCC and Report on Japan s assigned amount based on the Kyoto Protocol, which were submitted by the government to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat in August Furthermore, the method developed here is adopted as an accounting method of the absorption rate in Japan during 2008 to 2012, the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol. We expect that the national forest resources database can be used for actual accounting and reporting. This research was financially supported by the Environment Research & Technology Development Fund on a Study on the evaluation of carbon removals by forests under the Kyoto Protocol of the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan and the trust fund on Emergency maintenance system for reporting the quantity of forest absorption and its verification system of the Forestry Agency.

3 Figure 1. The national forest resources database server in the database room in the Forestry Agency. Figure 2. Design of accounting and reporting of the absorption rate by forests Based on government information, this is made up from multiple sources which verify actual forest stands information including forest resources monitoring survey by the Forestry Agency on information on accumulation and growth and verify location and area by geographical information in orthophotos and the high resolution satellite images.

4 Table 1. Summary of the National Forest Resources Database Purpose Accounting and reporting for the Kyoto Protocol Provide basic information about the current state of forest resources and forest census, etc. Target Forest All private forests and national forests Land use change National land Data Inventory information Forest registers, forest planning maps Image information Landsat TM, SPOT, orthophoto Land use information Land use sampling Forest stand Forest resources monitoring, FM monitoring information Function Accounting and reporting of absorption Estimation of absorption Article 3-3 ARD Article 3.4 Identification and calculation of forest management Absorption simulation Presentations including reviews Forest statistics Provide basic information on forests result

5 Figure 3. Computer display of the national forest resources database The national forest resources database integrates national forest resources information and geographical information system (GIS). This picture displays attribute data linked with control boundaries of local forestry offices against the backdrop of an orthophoto.