Ana Aza
Research Scientist
Biography
I am part of the coordinating team for Norway's national greenhouse gas inventory for the Land Use, Land-Use Changes, and Forestry (LULUCF) sector under the UNFCCC and EU. My work includes calculating and reporting carbon emissions and removals for the LULUCF sector and contributing to projects that analyze the coherence and effects of national and international policies on land use, including drivers, correlations, and outcomes. I have experience in risk and uncertainty analysis, long-term planning in the forest sector, and evaluating payment for ecosystem services schemes. My expertise includes LULUCF, climate change, carbon accounting, policy analysis, and risk and uncertainty analysis.
Abstract
I denne rapporten presenteres arealbruksendringer i Norge i perioden 2010–2024, med særlig vekt på overganger til utbygd areal og tilhørende klimagassutslipp. Statistikken er utviklet på oppdrag fra Miljødirektoratet og bygger på arealstatistikk fra Landsskogtakseringen og utslippsberegninger fra arealbrukssektoren (LULUCF) i det nasjonale klimagassregnskapet. I perioden 2010–2024 ble det i gjennomsnitt bygget ut om lag 5 000 hektar per år. Totalt ble over 78 000 hektar omgjort til utbygd areal i løpet av perioden. Skog stod for den største andelen av arealet som ble utbygd (62 %), etterfulgt av dyrket mark (20 %). Om lag 92 % av arealene som ble utbygd lå på mineraljord, mens 8 % lå på organisk jord. De gjennomsnittlige årlige utslippene knyttet til arealbruksendringer i perioden 2010–2024 er beregnet til om lag 2,3 millioner tonn CO₂-ekvivalenter. Overganger til utbygd areal står for om lag 1,5 millioner tonn CO₂-ekvivalenter per år. Utbygging av skog er den klart største utslippskilden og bidrar med nær 1,4 millioner tonn CO₂-ekvivalenter årlig. Blant underkategoriene av utbygd areal bidrar næringsbebyggelse og grus-, sandtak, steinbrudd og deponier til de største utslippene, etterfulgt av ulike typer veianlegg. Datagrunnlaget gir en samlet oversikt over omfanget av arealbruksendringer og de tilhørende klimapåvirkningene i Norge.
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in using forests as a natural solution for enhancing terrestrial carbon dioxide removal, as part of climate smart forestry strategy to have a significant role in climate mitigation efforts. Harvest deferral is seen as one carbon farming practice to increase carbon sequestration in forests. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of harvest deferral on carbon forest sink potential of Norwegian forests in the short, medium and long-term. Here, we carried out scenario analysis for the whole Norway during the 21st century to assess the effect on carbon sequestration of delaying harvest in a certain number of forests. The scenarios represented different levels of harvest deferral through Norwegian forests. Delaying harvest would increase CO2 removals in the medium (2050) and long-term (2100), resulting in an additional uptake of approximately 6 and 34 Tg CO2, respectively, when extending rotation for 20 years in those plots with high growth increment in the last 5 years. Scenarios where harvest was delayed for a longer period showed slightly higher CO2 removals by the end of the century. While harvest deferral scenarios showed positive effects in terms of climate change mitigation potential, there are several other aspects that need to be considered, such as trade-offs and synergies with other sustainability goals, leakage, market behaviour and willingness of forest owners to get involved in these carbon farming practices.
Authors
Ana Aza Baders, Endijs García-Gil, M Rosario Kniivilä, Matleena Ling, Erik Lukmine, Diana Mustonen, Mika Rautio, Pasi Svensson, Johan Tolvanen, Anne Knut ØistadAbstract
Key messages: Multifunctionality should serve as a guiding principle for forest governance and investment, complementing production and conservation objectives. To operationalise this vision, three guiding principles should inform EU and national policies: • Plan and manage at the landscape level balancing production, biodiversity, climate adaptation and social needs in complementary ways. Policies should support a diversity of management practices. • Align sectoral policies to ensure coherence between forestry, energy, biodiversity, climate and social objectives. • Reward and support multifunctionality explicitly through advisory programmes, certification systems, and financial mechanisms that recognise and support diverse management practices.
Division of Forest and Forest Resources
EU Climate Policy Implications for Land Use in Norway: Managing Trade-offs and Achieving Policy Coherence (ClimaLand)
The ClimaLand project will investigate trade-offs between policy goals, governance levels, and sector interests, and seek to identify how to design more coherent climate and land-use policies. An important objective is to investigate how conflicting policy goals can be handled and various considerations and land-use interests balanced.
Division of Forest and Forest Resources
Optimizing Carbon, Soil Health and Yield in Coffee-Forest Systems as a Climate-Smart Land Management in Ethiopia (CoffeeLand)
CoffeeLand is an interdisciplinary research project aimed at advancing climate-smart land management in Ethiopia’s coffee-forest systems, which are critical for biodiversity, livelihoods, and global Arabica coffee genetic resources. These systems support millions of smallholder farmers but are increasingly threatened by climate change, land-use pressure, and declining productivity.