Carbon sinks in the Kyoto Protocol -: Potential relevance for US forests

The international agreement known as the Kyoto Protocol seeks to reduce the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases to mitigate the threat of global climate change. It contains provisions for including carbon stock changes from forests and land-use change to meet nations' greenhouse gas commitments, but the terms under which forest-related carbon stock changes are included are open to interpretation. Critical questions include how much of the carbon currently being sequestered by US forests might qualify, and what forest management activities will be included.