Impacts of forest management practices on forest carbon

Forest management is an important activity that affects the global carbon stock, and therefore needs to be studied to further understand how its different practices can aid in greenhouse gas reduction efforts. Attaining sustainable harvesting potentials without sacrificing forests' ability to store carbon is very complicated. This report examines forest management practices and forest carbon in relation to possible climate change mitigation. Based on the review of scientific literature regarding forest systems' carbon sequestration, we discuss implications of the results of different forest management practices in the world and in Finland, and also touch upon the legislation as a regulatory measure. We conclude that carbon sequestration can be increased by management techniques such as prolonged rotations, increased thinning, continuous forest cover, supporting litter production and natural ecological conditions, keeping the right water level and cleaning the high emission ditches in peatlands. Preservation of large carbon stock of boreal forest soil is crucial, whereas in tropical forests, preventing deforestation is more relevant. In peatlands, forestrydraining can have a negative effect on the soil carbon pool in the long run in fertile sites. Carbon sequestration could be increased by storing carbon in wood products and using it as an alternative to fossil fuels. Forest management usually focuses on increasing the forest productivity and growing stock. However, forest management practices should be optimized for other factors too, such as the ecological quality of the forests and the soil carbon balance.