18 November 2014: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Forestry and Timber Section conducted a regional review of carbon sequestration in forests. The review concludes that the European region contains 41% of the world’s forests, worth 225 million tons of carbon per year as a forest biomass carbon sink.

According to a UNECE press release, the assessment notes that while forest carbon is decreasing globally, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and North America are experiencing an increase in forest carbon, with living biomass currently estimated at 78 billion tons of carbon.

The UNECE underscores that “the way forests are managed influences the amount of carbon stored in biomass, soils, and forest products and how much is emitted into the atmosphere.” Based on the findings of the assessment, the seventy-second meeting of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI) is discussing management options for forests to ensure that the region maintains its role as a carbon sink. It notes that potential increases in deforestation and forest degradation, especially in certain areas, need to be countered with sustainable forest management (SFM) and a shift towards the use of renewable materials and energy sources.

The release of the assessment is forthcoming. The UNECE COFFI is being held the 18-21 November 2014, in Kazan, the Russian Federation, Republic of Tatarstan. [UNECE Press Release] [COFFI Meeting Website] [IISD RS sources]