The assessment of the feasibility of using the state forest inventory data to implement the national commitments under the Paris Agreement

Abstract

The authors have considered the feasibility of using the measurements of quality and quantity forest parameters on the State Forest Inventory (SFI) permanent sample plots (PSP) for estimating carbon stocks in forests in the preparation of the reports on the implementation of the national commitments under the Paris Agreement. The strengths and weaknesses of the SFI methods for estimating carbon stocks are revealed. The analytic assessment is demonstrated through the example of Khabarovsk Territory in which the SFI was completed in 2018. It is experimentally confirmed that significantly more accurate SFI data on the average growing stock volume, in combination with improved methods for estimating carbon assessment parameters, can increase the estimates of carbon stocks in the forest biomass approximately by +30%.