PRESENT KNOWLEDGE OF FOREST ECOSYSTEM CARBON IN RUSSIA AND PROBLEMS OF ITS IMPROVING by Vladislav Alexeyev Maxim Markov Boris Rybinin Michael Tarasov Pavel Zimnitsky

DISTRIBUTION OF TERRESTRIAL AREAS OF RUSSIA BY CATEGORIES OF LANDS, (State Report…, 1995) Category of land Lands under management of different agencies, million haTotal ForestryAgriculturalTowns & Industry EcologyReserve million ha % Forested area 681,1114,37,313,67,0823,348,1 Agricultural lands, including croplands, ploughed fields and pastures for cattle & deers 63,0439,826,31,419,5550,032,2 Peatlands 78,613,21,9 11,2107,56,3 Waters (rivers, lakes) 13,119,31,71,517,972,04,2 Towns & villages 1,73,57,10,00,112,40,7 Damaged lands 0,10,30,70,00,11,20,1 Other lands 6,253,29,710,046,1125,37,3 Total 843,8656,856,328,9104,81709,9100,0 49,338,43,31,76,1100,0 Table 1.

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. Age of trees Growing stock, m 3 /ha Phytomass of stand, t/ha Other vegetation (understory) t/ha Boles (with bark) Leaves /needles BranchesRootsStand, total ,26,727,27,142,223, ,15,987,210,559,783, ,65,547,513,578,143, ,95,769,017,6102,264, ,95,8210,221,3125,224, ,05,8911,925,2147,994, ,85,9912,527,8167,095, ,36,1814,031,0186,485, ,16,2014,733,3201,306, ,66,1715,335,1213,176, ,26,0915,736,8223,796, ,96,0616,038,0231,967, ,95,9116,138,6236,517,20

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. Age of trees Growing stock, m 3 /ha Phytomass of stand, % Other vegetation (understory) % of stand Boles (with bark) Leaves /needles BranchesRootsStand, total ,215,917,116,8100,07, ,410,012,017,6100,06, ,07,19,617,3100,05, ,45,68,817,2100,04, ,24,68,117,0100,03, ,04,08,017,0100,02, ,33,67,516,6100,03, ,63,37,516,6100,03, ,13,17,316,5100,03, ,52,97,216,5100,03, ,82,77,016,4100,02, ,12,66,916,4100,03, ,42,56,816,3100,03,0

COEFFICIENTS FOR CONVERTING OF SCOTS PINE GROWING STOCK VOLUME (m 3 /ha) IN ECOSYSTEMS OF SOUTHERN TAIGA OF EUROPEAN RUSSIA TO PHYTOMASS (t/ha) LENINGRAD REGION, TREE STAND OF III SITE QUALITY CLASS Table 2c. Age of trees Growing stock, m 3 /ha Coefficients for converting of growing stock (m 3 /ha) to phytomass (t/ha) Other vegetation (understory) t/ha Boles (with bark) Leaves /needles BranchesRoots Total tree stand 20460,4610,1460,1570,1540,9180, ,4630,0770,0920,1350,7660, ,4650,0500,0680,1220,7040, ,4660,0380,0600,1170,6820, ,4680,0310,0540,1130,6660, ,4690,0260,0530,1130,6610, ,4700,0230,0490,1080,6500, ,4710,0220,0490,1080,6500, ,4730,0200,0470,1070,6470, ,4750,0190,0460,1060,6460, ,4760,0180,0450,1060,6450, ,4780,0170,0440,1060,6440, ,4790,0160,0440,1050,6440,008

COEFFICIENTS FOR CONVERTING OF SCOTS PINE GROWING STOCK (m 3 /ha) IN ECOSYSTEMS OF SOUTHERN TAIGA OF EUROPEAN RUSSIA TO CARBON (t/ha) LENINGRAD REGION, TREE STAND OF III SITE QUALITY CLASS Table 2d. Age of trees Growing stock, m 3 /ha Coefficients for converting of growing stock (m 3 /ha) to carbon (t/ha) Other vegetation (understory) t/ha Boles (with bark) Leaves /needles BranchesRoots Total tree stand 20460,2300,0730,0780,0770,4590, ,2310,0380,0460,0670,3830, ,2320,0250,0340,0610,3520, ,2330,0190,0300,0590,3410, ,2340,0150,0270,0570,3330, ,2340,0130,0270,0560,3300, ,2350,0120,0240,0540,3250, ,2360,0110,0240,0540,3250, ,2360,0100,0240,0540,3240, ,2370,0090,0230,0530,3230, ,2380,0090,0230,0530,3220, ,2390,0080,0220,0530,3220, ,2400,0080,0220,0530,3220,004

COEFFICIENTS FOR CONVERSION THE VOLUME OF GROWING STOCK TO STAND PHYTOMASS FOR MAJOR TREE SPECIES IN ECOREGIONS OF RUSSIA (1994, extraction) Table 2e. Dominant tree species Age-class group Young stands Middle- aged Maturing Mature /overmature Class I a Class II b European Part of Russia Northern Taiga Scots pine Spruce Birch Middle Taiga Scots pine Spruce Birch Aspen Southern Taiga and Forest Steppe Scots pine Spruce Birch Aspen

Coefficients for conversion of growing stock volume (m 3 ) to carbon (t) European part of Russia (2004, Extraction) Table 3.

Detailed coefficients for transmission of growing stock volume (m 3 ) to carbon (t) (Extraction for Scots pine forests in middle taiga of European Russia ) Table 4. Humidity of forest ecosystems Relative density of stands Age-class group Young stands Middle- aged MaturingMature Overmatur e Class IClass II Excessively drained sites 0,5 & <0,4810,3960,3780,3710,3680,366 0,6 - 0,80,4360,3510,3330,3260,3230,321 0,9 & >0,4110,3260,3080,3010,2980,296 Well and moderately well drained sites 0,5 & <0,4810,3960,3780,3710,3680,366 0,6 - 0,80,4360,3510,3330,3260,3230,321 0,9 & >0,4110,3260,3080,3010,2980,296 Poorly drained sites 0,5 & <0,4810,3960,3780,3710,3680,366 0,6 - 0,80,4360,3510,3330,3260,3230,321 0,9 & >0,4110,3260,3080,3010,2980,296

CONVERSION COEFFICIENTS FOR TRANSFORMING VOLUME OF COARSE WOODY DEBRIS (CWD, m 3 /ha) OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN EUROPEAN RUSSIA TO CARBON (t/ha) [after clearcutting] Table 5. Dominant tree species Young stands Middle- aged MaturingMatureOver-mature Class IClass II Northern Taiga Scots pine1,050,460,370,210,170,19 Spruce1,230,560,210,160,110,13 Birch1,550,640,190,040,020,04 Middle Taiga Scots pine1,230,490,240,180,100,12 Spruce1,260,620,260,150,050,07 Birch1,140,620,230,080,040,10 Aspen1,420,440,210,090,060,09 Southern Taiga Scots pine1,480,200,170,090,070,10 Spruce1,390,240,090,050,040,07 Birch1,210,480,150,090,050,07 Aspen1,780,690,140,080,050,06

Carbon (Mt) of components in Scots pine forest ecosystems of Leningrad Oblast (after clearcutting) Table 6. Components of forest ecosystem Age class group of standsTotal Young I class Young II class Middle- aged Premature Mature & overmature Methodology-1994 Forest vegetation: Tree stand2,014,7925,2723,5521,28 76,9 Understory 3,4 Methodology-2004 Forest vegetation: Tree stand2,014,7925,2723,5521,28 76,9 Understory0,10,20,91,00,9 3,1 CWD on the ground3,00,964,302,121,81 12,19 CWD of roots Litter 1,772,39,337,7312,7 33,83 Soil12,868,3922,6516,9219,88 80,7 Total20,2216,6762,2350,8657,04 207,02

CARBON STORAGE AND CARBON DENSITY OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN GEOGRAPHICAL ECOREGIONS OF RUSSIA Table 7. Ecoregion European Russia Asian Russia Total Western SiberiaMiddle Siberia Eastern Siberia and Yakutia Far East Gtt/haGtt/haGtt/haGtt/haGtt/haGtt/ha Plains Forest tundra zone 0,351031,831493, ,4130 Boreal zone Northern taiga subzone 4,931373,751813, ,46138 Middle taiga 5,11377,861914, , ,78163 Southern taiga subzone 4,221186,142035, ,13177 Mixed forests 1, ,86142 Forest steppe zone 1,491561,682461, ,182045,46208 Steppe zone 0,221310, ,49136 Desert zone 0, ,02136 Subtotal 18,19 21,53 18,68 10,11 1,18 69,69 Mountains Subarctic zone 0, ,72883,91991,67916,3195 Boreal zone 1, ,941717,731239, ,55143 Subboreal zone (Ural) 0, ,921744,641744,817718,22168 Subboreal (Caucasus) 0, ,79239 Subarid zone 0, ,37160 Subtotal 2,67 12,95 16,28 16,34 48,24 Total20,86 21,53 31,63 26,39 17,52 117,93

middle-agedmaturing mature and overmatureyoung stands Dynamic of average carbon density in deciduous softwood stands of European Russia by age groups:

Dynamic of average carbon density in coniferous stands of European Russia by age groups: middle-agedmaturing mature and overmatureyoung stands Year of forest account Average density C, t/ha

Conclusion 1. The Government of Russia did not take attention for research of the National terrestrial carbon up to October 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 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 The third approximation is going to be published by Alexeyev and Birdsey in the spring of The single detail estimation of the full carbon balance for Russia was made by IIASA in Main conclusion of this study – a level of our carbon knowledge is insufficient for such calculations. Uncertainties of estimation give error over 100%.

Primary tasks for Russian carbon in 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.