National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Land Use Change and Forestry in Canada (1997)

Client: Environment Canada – Pollution Data Branch - GHG Division

Using IPCC methodology SGA calculated the annual emissions and sequestrations from all sources and sinks in the forestry and land use change category for the year 1990. The methodology considered changes in forest and other woody biomass stocks, forest and grassland conversions, abandonment of managed lands and emissions and removals from soils. In the process SGA established the groundwork for modelling annual emissions and sequestrations for all years of the National Inventory.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Chapter 5 details the background and methodology for estimating greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 removals as a result of land-use change and forestry. SGA modelled net emissions and removals for Canada in the year 1990 following, to the extent possible, IPCC methods. The study has paved the way for introduction of the Land Use Change and Forestry module into Canada’s National Inventory and to expand the subsequent annual National Inventories.