Pulpwood plantations acting as carbon sinks rather than carbon emitters? An interesting concept that runs counter to the common portrayal of plantation forests. But new research shows that plantation forests can actually improve carbon sequestration over degraded forests and in some cases even retain more carbon than natural forests.

APP is working to better understand and document the actual role and impact of plantation forests on greenhouse emissions. That understanding is essential to the future planning of pulpwood concessions.

Type of soil, irrigation and maintenance of water levels, tree selection, rotation cycles, all are elements that contribute to the net impact of plantation forest management on carbon sequestration.

In 2010, APP embarked on a groundbreaking study to measure the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from plantation forests. This was the first-ever independent research conducted on Indonesian pulpwood plantations analyzing the impact of GHG emissions (CO2 and CO4) on all soil types across all seasons.

APP engaged Bogor University lecturer Basuki Sumawinata to lead the research team in analyzing and taking reliable carbon stock calculations in plantations.

Sumawinata said over the course of the study, he and his research team analyzed all soil types in lowland forest and adjacent upland areas, including both pristine and degraded natural peat areas in Indonesia.

Beyond examining the impact of GHG emissions, the study will also analyzed how effectively trees and other fauna in the peat sequester carbon.

"This is quite important because there is no information about carbon or gas emissions from acacia plantations or peat land," Sumawinata said.

"So from this research, we try to find the amount of carbon emitted and sequestered in different types of land. I hope I can get new information about gas emissions so that we can better cope with that problem."

APP collaborated with Sumawinata on this first-of-its-kind study as part of its Indonesia research and development initiatives during Indonesia's two-year moratorium on new forest concession licenses.

During the moratorium period, APP has embarked on a range of research and development initiatives to help advance future sustainable forestry programs. In the spirit of Indonesia's collaboration with Norway, carbon research is among APP's top priorities.

Coming out of the moratorium, the goal is to be in a position to create more accurate models to measure the real impact of sustainable plantation development and use that data to drive decision making and planning for future plantations and conservation areas.

The research study was carried out from September 2010 to March 2011 effectively proving that the development of pulpwood plantations - or afforestation - on degraded peat land, or land that had been stripped of forest, can help the land sustainably recover contributing significantly to increased carbon absorption. Read more about the study here