Carbon accumulation in European forests

European forests are intensively exploited for wood products, yet they are also a potential sink for carbon. European forest inventoriescombined with timber harvest statistics from sixteen European countries show that between 1950 and 2000 forest biomass increased faster than the amount of timber harvests. Silviculture, which has developed over the past 50 years, can efficiently sequester carbon on timescales of decades, while maintaining forests that meet the demand for wood.