Forests are renewable and one of the largest terrestrial reservoirs of biomass and soil carbon. They have an important role in global carbon cycles as sinks and sources of carbon. Carbon stocks in forests include above ground biomass, below ground biomass, dead and decaying organic matter and soil carbon. Carbon is also stored in wood products. Global climate change could have significant impacts on the structure, distribution, productivity, and health of temperate and boreal forests as well as impacts on forest carbon stocks and fluxes, and the prevalence of forest fires, disease and insect outbreaks, and storm damages.
Forest management practices also affect the carbon cycle and fluxes. Deforestation has a negative impact, but management activities that maintain and enhance the carbon stored in forests and forest products over the medium to long term can make a positive contribution to mitigating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. In addition, biomass from forests can be used as a substitute for fossil fuels thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.