Classification, Production, and Carbon Stock of Harvested Wood Products in China from 1961 to 2012

• Main Authors: Hongqiang Yang, Xufang Zhang, Yinxing Hong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: North Carolina State University 2014-06-01
• Series: BioResources
• Subjects: Harvested wood products; China; Classification; Production; Carbon stock
• Online Access: http://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BioRes/article/view/BioRes_09_3_4311_Yang_Carbon_Stock_China

China boasts a large production, import, and export volume of harvested wood products (HWP). The production, trade volume, and carbon stock of HWP can be used as valuable reference data for the economic growth and the participation of China in climatic negotiation. This research counts the production of major Chinese HWP between 1961 and 2012 according to the HWP classification standards of the Food and Agricultural Organization. The total forestry production value of China reached RMB 3,950 billion in 2012. The total forestry production value and the HWP production of China have been rising steadily. By applying the carbon accounting model of HWP under the stock change approach, this research estimates and analyzes the carbon stock of Chinese HWP from 1961 to 2012. The development of Chinese HWP inventories within this period can be roughly divided into three phases, which show a general uptrend. In 2012, the total carbon stock of Chinese HWP reached 888.01 million tons, whereas the annual increment of Chinese HWP reached 50.78 million tons. Therefore, HWP significantly contributes to the positive growth of Chinese carbon stock.