GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS FROM THE USE OF PRIMARY ENERGY IN FOREST OPERATIONS AND LONG-DISTANCE TRANSPORTATION OF TIMBER IN FINLAND

In Finland in 1993 the greenhouse gas emissions caused by machinery us ed in silvicultural and forest improvement work, wood harvesting, and timber transportation were 424.2 Gg carbon dioxide (CO2) (Gg = gigagra m = 10(9) g), 10.6 Mg nitrous oxide (Mg = megagram = 10(6) g), 3.5 Gg carbon monoxide, 31.5 Mg methane, 5.6 Gg nitrogen oxide, and 0.7 Gg no n-methane volatile organic compounds. When emissions were converted in to equal units as global warming potential in terms of CO2, the warmin g effects on a 20-year time frame equalled 1310 Gg as CO2 and on a 100 -year time frame 669 Gg as CO2. The proportion of silvicultural and fo rest improvement work of the total emission was 8 per cent, cutting of timber 13 per cent, haulage 18 per cent, long-distance transportation 57 per cent, and transportation of machinery 4 per cent. The emission s caused by the use of primary energy in forestry seem to be small com pared with the amount of carbon in harvested timber, which was 30 300 Gg in terms of CO2.