The impact of environment policies on carbon absorption by forest ecosystems

Abstract

Since recently forest ecosystems has been included as possible sinks of the atmospheric CO2, the establishment of new forest plantations is mentioned as a measure to mitigate the concentrations of this gas. This capacity would take to assess environmental objectives into afforestations programs. Under the optics of a private landowner or a possible investor in this kind of assets, these circumstances turn decision-making process into a joint production case, different to the traditional management of these forestations. On the other hand, from a social point of view the capture of carbon would be at his maximum. Two possible cases of afforestations have been discussed, and the results show that the current system of European grants cannot constitute an optimal solution, since to add new grants to those existent it won't cause bigger carbon storage, but only an increase in the landowners’ revenues.