Harvested wood products (HWP) 

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Harvested Wood Products (HWP) refer to wood-based materials that are extracted from forests and used in various applications such as construction, furniture, paper, and energy. These products play a significant role in the carbon cycle and climate change mitigation.

🌲 What Are HWPs?

HWPs include:

• Sawn wood (e.g., lumber for construction)

• Wood panels (e.g., plywood, particleboard)

• Paper and paperboard

• Bioenergy feedstocks (e.g., wood pellets)

They act as carbon reservoirs, storing the carbon absorbed by trees during growth. This carbon remains locked in the product until it decays, is burned, or otherwise decomposes.

🔄 Role in Climate Mitigation

HWPs contribute to climate goals in two key ways:

1. Carbon Storage: Carbon remains sequestered in long-lived wood products.

2. Substitution Effect:

   • Material substitution: Wood replaces high-emission materials like steel or concrete.

   • Energy substitution: Wood-based bioenergy replaces fossil fuels.

📊 Accounting for HWPs

Under frameworks like the LULUCF Regulation and IPCC guidelines, HWPs are tracked as part of national greenhouse gas inventories. There are three tiers of accounting methods:

• Tier 1: First-order decay model using default parameters

• Tier 2: Country-specific data for more accurate estimates

• Tier 3: Advanced models tailored to national circumstances

⚠️ Limitations and Considerations

• Short-lived products (e.g., paper) release carbon quickly.

• Bioenergy use results in immediate CO₂ emissions.

• Imported/exported wood complicates carbon accounting.