GHG Accounting for Forest Inventories

info(at)natureandpoverty.net

Against the backdrop of deliberations on REDD and other forest-based climate policy mechanisms, the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute is pleased to announce the launch of its latest e-learning course: "GHG Accounting for Forest Inventories."

Kathryn Goldman Bickel, Senior Policy Manager for the Climate Action Reserve, will instruct this timely new course.

The importance of forests in GHG emissions management is widely recognized, but there are few resources to help organizations understand measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) issues for forest-related GHG emissions and removals. This course addresses this need by providing comprehensive and detailed guidance for the development of forest GHG inventories, helping organizations:

• Track changes in forest GHG emissions and removals over time
• Identify opportunities to increase carbon sequestration
• Identify other opportunities to reduce forest-related GHG emissions
• Participate in GHG reporting programs
• Assess liabilities of and opportunities for participating in future GHG policies

Key concepts covered include:

• The benefits of developing a forest GHG inventory
• Overview of existing GHG reporting programs that include forests
• How to set boundaries in a forest GHG inventory
• How to characterize forests and what information is important to track over time
• The basic principles of carbon stock accounting
• Specific options, methods, and examples of how to estimate forest carbon stocks (including carbon in harvested wood products)
• Guidance on choosing the appropriate forest carbon stock estimation method for specific circumstances
• Methods for estimating emissions from GHG sources in forests
• Resources for estimating non-forest GHG emissions sources that could fall within an organization's boundaries (i.e., from pulp and paper mills and wood manufacturing facilities)
• How to bring the appropriate information together into a comprehensive GHG inventory report

Utilizing the GHG Management Institute's interactive e-learning system, this course is available to learners across the globe.

For more information on "GHG Accounting for Forest Inventories" and other Institute courses, please visit www.ghginstitute.org or email info@ghginstitute.org