Role of Russian Forests in the Global Carbon Balance

The significance of terrestrial ecosystems to global climate change will not be fully recognized until all components which contribute to their flux are accurately quantified. The absence of a common approach to quantify terrestrial carbon has resulted in substantial discrepancies in regional, national, and global estimates of carbon. One of the most dramatic cases is represented by the flux estimates for Russian forests which differ both in character and by two orders of magnitude. A system of accounting which provides a comprehensive estimate of the carbon flux between Russian forests and the atmosphere is presented herein. All significant components of the carbon cycle in forest ecosystems are considered. The sequestration of carbon in Russian forests is substantial. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Russian forests were accumulating 0.66 Pg C yr-1. Approximately one-third of the sequestered carbon was returned to the atmosphere through logging and forests fires.