PRESENT%20KNOWLEDGE

1
PRESENT KNOWLEDGE OF FOREST ECOSYSTEM CARBON IN
RUSSIA AND PROBLEMS OF ITS IMPROVING
by Vladislav Alexeyev Maxim Markov Boris
Rybinin Michael Tarasov Pavel Zimnitsky
2
DISTRIBUTION OF TERRESTRIAL AREAS OF RUSSIA BY
CATEGORIES OF LANDS, (State Report, 1995)
Table 1.
3
AGE CHANGING OF PHYTOMASS IN FOREST ECOSYSTEMS OF
SCOTS PINE IN SOUTHERN TAIGA OF EUROPEAN
RUSSIA.LENINGRAD REGION, TREE STAND OF III
SITE QUALITY CLASS (after Usoltsev,2002)
Table 2a.
4
FRACTIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF PHYTOMASS IN FOREST
ECOSYSTEMS OF SCOTS PINE IN SOUTHERN TAIGA OF
EUROPEAN RUSSIA. LENINGRAD REGION, TREE STAND
OF III SITE QUALITY CLASS
Table 2b.
5
COEFFICIENTS FOR CONVERTING OF SCOTS PINE GROWING
STOCK VOLUME (m3/ha) IN ECOSYSTEMS OF SOUTHERN
TAIGA OF EUROPEAN RUSSIA TO PHYTOMASS
(t/ha) LENINGRAD REGION, TREE STAND OF III
SITE QUALITY CLASS
Table 2c.
6
COEFFICIENTS FOR CONVERTING OF SCOTS PINE GROWING
STOCK (m3/ha) IN ECOSYSTEMS OF SOUTHERN TAIGA OF
EUROPEAN RUSSIA TO CARBON (t/ha) LENINGRAD
REGION, TREE STAND OF III SITE QUALITY CLASS
Table 2d.
7
COEFFICIENTS FOR CONVERSION THE VOLUME OF GROWING
STOCK TO STAND PHYTOMASS FOR MAJOR TREE SPECIES
IN ECOREGIONS OF RUSSIA(1994, extraction)
Table 2e.
8
Coefficients for conversion of growing stock
volume (m3) to carbon (t) European part of
Russia(2004, Extraction)
Table 3.
9
Detailed coefficients for transmission of growing
stock volume (m3) to carbon (t)(Extraction for
Scots pine forests in middle taiga of European
Russia )
Table 4.
10
CONVERSION COEFFICIENTS FOR TRANSFORMING VOLUME
OF COARSE WOODY DEBRIS (CWD, m3/ha) OF FOREST
ECOSYSTEMS IN EUROPEAN RUSSIA TO CARBON (t/ha)
after clearcutting
Table 5.
11
Carbon (Mt) of components in Scots pine forest
ecosystems of Leningrad Oblast(after
clearcutting)
Table 6.
12
CARBON STORAGE AND CARBON DENSITY OF FOREST
ECOSYSTEMS IN GEOGRAPHICAL ECOREGIONS OF RUSSIA
Table 7.
13
Dynamic of average carbon density in deciduous
softwood stands of European Russia by age
groups
middle-aged
maturing
mature and overmature
young stands
14
Dynamic of average carbon density in coniferous
stands of European Russia by age groups
70
60
50
Average density C, t/ha
40
30
20
10
12.05.1905
1961 1966
1973 1978
1983 1988 1993
1998
Year of forest account
15
Conclusion
1. The Government of Russia did not take
attention for research of the National
terrestrial carbon up to October-2004.
2. Russia has no the National program for
carbon research. 3. Developing of carbon
research is restricted by (1) absence of funding
for work and (2) not available for scientists of
the State Forest Account-2003 4. Study
and estimate of storage and dynamics of carbon in
ecosystems of Russia is carry out by small
separated groups of scientists (inside and
outside of that country). Funding of these
researchers is providing mainly for account of
different grants. 5. Carbon storage of
forest stands of Russia (in the National scale
and for different geographical and administrative
regions) is estimated to present time with error
of 10-20. 6. Methodology of carbon
estimation for forest ecosystems are in
developing. The results of the first
approximation was published by Alexeyev an
Birdsey in 1994, the second by IIASA in 2000.
The third approximation is going to be published
by Alexeyev and Birdsey in the spring of 2005 .
7. The single detail estimation of the full
carbon balance for Russia was made by IIASA in
2000. Main conclusion of this study a level of
our carbon knowledge is insufficient for such
calculations. Uncertainties of estimation give
error over 100.
16
Primary tasks for Russian carbon in 2005-2006
1. Organize and develop the National
program for research of carbon in Russian
terrestrial ecosystems.  2. Try to get a
sufficient budget and private funding (including
the International) for carbon ecosystem research
3. Change of the database aggregation
in the State Forest Account for understanding of
the climax forests, uneven aged stands, show
absolute age of dominant tree species, show all
site quality classes of stands, etc.). 4.
More intensively to involve of the
International science and scientists in research
of carbon in forest ecosystems of Russia.
5. Organize in Russia the International
Workshop devoted to research of Russian forest
carbon.