Impact of forestry and wood industry as components of carbon cycle on climate change

Due to environmental pollution that has a damaging effect on climate change, the emphasis is laid upon the importance of the generally useful function of forests and upon sustainable sources of energy – biomass and wood waste. Based on established changes of the growing stock and prescribed cut, assessment has been made of the impact of forestry and wood industry on the accumulation of new quantities of carbon emission, as well as its loss. According to the IIPPC method, the estimate was made of the annual CO2 emission/removal in Croatia, which was 6 505 kt from 1990 to 1996 and 8069 kt from 1996 to 2001 (EKONERG, 2003). Compared to total emission of carbon dioxide of 20,390 kt recorded in Croatia in 2001, and according to the established balance, the forestry sector only accounts for a 0.3 % share in energy consumption of fossil fuels. In domestic primary and final wood processing, the volumes of wood waste can be estimated at 535 – 722 thousand m3, of which approximately 48 % is used as fuelwood, i.e. as a substitute for fossil fuels.