Carbon sinks in temperate forests

In addition to being scientifically exciting, commercially important, and e nvironmentally essential, temperate forests have also become a key diplomat ic item in international climate negotiations as potential sinks for carbon . This review presents the methods used to estimate carbon sequestration, i dentifies the constraints and opportunities for carbon sequestration in tem perate forests, addresses the issues raised by the monitoring of carbon seq uestration, and analyzes uncertainties pertaining to the sequestration of c arbon by temperate forests. This review serves a dual purpose: It aims at i nforming policy makers about carbon sequestration in temperate forests and at making forest ecologists, biogeochemists, and atmospheric scientists awa re of the structure of an international agreement to reduce CO2 and other g reenhouse gas emissions and some of the real, still answered scientific que stions that it poses.