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Carbon storage in harvested wood products in Europe –
State of the Art analysis and research outlook
Daša Majcen PhD1*, Erwin M. Schau PhD1, prof. Andreja Kutnar PhD1,2
1 IInnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia, dasa.majcen@innorenew.eu, erwin.schau@innorenew.eu, andreja.kutnar@innorenew.eu
2 University of Primorska, Titov trg 3, 6000 Koper, Slovenia and InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia, andreja.kutnar@innorenew.eu
* Corresponding author
Carbon storage of harvested wood products (HWPs) is a realistic opportunity for climate change mitigation; however, accounting
for it depends strongly on the method used. Around the world, several methods for carbon accounting of HWPs exist. Globally
used IPCC 2016 method for carbon accounting for national inventory reports takes into account the carbon stored in HWPs.
However, it uses simplified assumptions about categories and lifespans , failing to provide an accurate account of the carbon
stored in all HWPs. Other more detailed methods such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), by default consider the neutrality of
biogenic carbon, and do not account for timing of uptake and release of CO2. Furthermore, LCA does not consider delayed
emissions of carbon over time. The advantage of LCA is nevertheless its standardisation, availability and accessible data, and
the capacity to demonstrate impacts of material substitution.
The above mentioned and other methodologies for carbon accounting in HWPs should be advanced in order to include
environmental impact throughout the forest-based industry, encompassing its manufacturing emissions, end-of-life treatments
of wood, and wood substitution.
As the basis for methodology development, the present study shows an overview of existing data on carbon storage for selected
European countries in HWPs, obtained with various methods (Dias et al., 2012, Pilli et al., 2015, Aleinikovas et al. 2018,
Johnston at al. 2017), including LCA (Hoxha et al., 2020, Wiloso et al., 2016), dynamic system models (Braun et al. 2017), and
others. Based on the results of the statistical analysis, inputs from experts as well as findings from literature, best practices, and
guidance for method improvement and development will be provided. The improved method should be robust and sufficiently
detailed to inform a transition towards greener, carbon neutral forest-based industry. Furthermore, cascade utilisation of wood
will be included to emphasise the reuse of HWPs in multiple cycles.
Keywords: harvested wood products, forest-based value chain, life cycle analysis, carbon footprint, carbon mitigation
Acknowledgement: The author gratefully acknowledges receiving funding from European Commission under the H2020-
MSCA-IF-2020 program, Grant Agreement #101024687 and the European Commission for funding the InnoRenew project
(Grant Agreement #739574) under the Horizon 2020 Widespread-Teaming program and the Republic of Slovenia (investment
funding of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Regional Development Fund). The authors are also grateful for the support
of the Slovenian National Research Agency (ARRS) and the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MGRT)
through grant V4-2124.
REFERENCES
Aleinikovas, M., Jasinevicius, G., Škema, M., Beniušiene, L., Šilinskas. B., Varnagiryte-Kabašinskien, I. 2018. Assessing the Effects of
Accounting Methods for Carbon Storage in Harvested Wood Products on the National Carbon Budget of Lithuania, Forests, 9, 737.
Braun, M., 2017. Assessing carbon stocks and flows in the forest-based sector. An application of system dynamics modelling. Thesis
Dissertation. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Economics and Social Sciences Institute of Marketing
and Innovation, Vienna, Austria.
Dias, A., Arroja, L., Capela, I., 2012. Carbon storage in harvested wood products: implications of different methodological procedures
and input data—a case study for Portugal. Eur. J. For. Res. 109–117.
Hoxha, E., Passer, A., Saade, M.R.M., Trigaux, D., Shuttleworth, A., Pittau, F., Allacker, K. and Habert, G., 2020. Biogenic carbon in
buildings: a critical overview of LCA methods. Buildings and Cities, 1(1), pp.504–524.
Johnston, C. M. T., Radeloff, V. C., 2019. Global mitigation potential of carbon stored in harvested wood products, PNAS 116 (29),
14526-14531.
Wiloso, E.I., Heijungs, R., Huppes, G., Fang, K. 2016. Effect of biogenic carbon inventory on the life cycle assessment of bioenergy:
challenges to the neutrality assumption, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 125, 2016.
Pilli, R., Fiorese, G., Grassi, G. 2015. EU mitigation potential of Harvested wood products. Carbon Balance Manage. 10, 6.
24 1 7 – 1 8 N OVE M B E R 2 0 2 2 I I Z O L A , S LOVE N I A
State of the Art analysis and research outlook
Daša Majcen PhD1*, Erwin M. Schau PhD1, prof. Andreja Kutnar PhD1,2
1 IInnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia, dasa.majcen@innorenew.eu, erwin.schau@innorenew.eu, andreja.kutnar@innorenew.eu
2 University of Primorska, Titov trg 3, 6000 Koper, Slovenia and InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia, andreja.kutnar@innorenew.eu
* Corresponding author
Carbon storage of harvested wood products (HWPs) is a realistic opportunity for climate change mitigation; however, accounting
for it depends strongly on the method used. Around the world, several methods for carbon accounting of HWPs exist. Globally
used IPCC 2016 method for carbon accounting for national inventory reports takes into account the carbon stored in HWPs.
However, it uses simplified assumptions about categories and lifespans , failing to provide an accurate account of the carbon
stored in all HWPs. Other more detailed methods such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), by default consider the neutrality of
biogenic carbon, and do not account for timing of uptake and release of CO2. Furthermore, LCA does not consider delayed
emissions of carbon over time. The advantage of LCA is nevertheless its standardisation, availability and accessible data, and
the capacity to demonstrate impacts of material substitution.
The above mentioned and other methodologies for carbon accounting in HWPs should be advanced in order to include
environmental impact throughout the forest-based industry, encompassing its manufacturing emissions, end-of-life treatments
of wood, and wood substitution.
As the basis for methodology development, the present study shows an overview of existing data on carbon storage for selected
European countries in HWPs, obtained with various methods (Dias et al., 2012, Pilli et al., 2015, Aleinikovas et al. 2018,
Johnston at al. 2017), including LCA (Hoxha et al., 2020, Wiloso et al., 2016), dynamic system models (Braun et al. 2017), and
others. Based on the results of the statistical analysis, inputs from experts as well as findings from literature, best practices, and
guidance for method improvement and development will be provided. The improved method should be robust and sufficiently
detailed to inform a transition towards greener, carbon neutral forest-based industry. Furthermore, cascade utilisation of wood
will be included to emphasise the reuse of HWPs in multiple cycles.
Keywords: harvested wood products, forest-based value chain, life cycle analysis, carbon footprint, carbon mitigation
Acknowledgement: The author gratefully acknowledges receiving funding from European Commission under the H2020-
MSCA-IF-2020 program, Grant Agreement #101024687 and the European Commission for funding the InnoRenew project
(Grant Agreement #739574) under the Horizon 2020 Widespread-Teaming program and the Republic of Slovenia (investment
funding of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Regional Development Fund). The authors are also grateful for the support
of the Slovenian National Research Agency (ARRS) and the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MGRT)
through grant V4-2124.
REFERENCES
Aleinikovas, M., Jasinevicius, G., Škema, M., Beniušiene, L., Šilinskas. B., Varnagiryte-Kabašinskien, I. 2018. Assessing the Effects of
Accounting Methods for Carbon Storage in Harvested Wood Products on the National Carbon Budget of Lithuania, Forests, 9, 737.
Braun, M., 2017. Assessing carbon stocks and flows in the forest-based sector. An application of system dynamics modelling. Thesis
Dissertation. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Economics and Social Sciences Institute of Marketing
and Innovation, Vienna, Austria.
Dias, A., Arroja, L., Capela, I., 2012. Carbon storage in harvested wood products: implications of different methodological procedures
and input data—a case study for Portugal. Eur. J. For. Res. 109–117.
Hoxha, E., Passer, A., Saade, M.R.M., Trigaux, D., Shuttleworth, A., Pittau, F., Allacker, K. and Habert, G., 2020. Biogenic carbon in
buildings: a critical overview of LCA methods. Buildings and Cities, 1(1), pp.504–524.
Johnston, C. M. T., Radeloff, V. C., 2019. Global mitigation potential of carbon stored in harvested wood products, PNAS 116 (29),
14526-14531.
Wiloso, E.I., Heijungs, R., Huppes, G., Fang, K. 2016. Effect of biogenic carbon inventory on the life cycle assessment of bioenergy:
challenges to the neutrality assumption, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 125, 2016.
Pilli, R., Fiorese, G., Grassi, G. 2015. EU mitigation potential of Harvested wood products. Carbon Balance Manage. 10, 6.
24 1 7 – 1 8 N OVE M B E R 2 0 2 2 I I Z O L A , S LOVE N I A
