ANNUAL AGE-RELATED ABSORPTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE BY PINE STANDS
The paper focuses on the issue of attitude to old forests in the process of forest use. The objects of research were pine stands of Negoreloye forestry station which have been conservation forests for 67 years and pine forests of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The following age-related values have been established for the old pine forests: average stock, carbon content, average change of carbon sequestration and annual absorption of carbon dioxide. It has been noted that pine stands of age classes 2-5 have the largest СО2 "stock" capacity. Those of age classes 6 and 7 have become sources of carbon dioxide emission. The paper considers the carbon sequestration capacity of forests. Considerable areas of pine forests in Belarus are currently transferring into mature forests and timber harvest volumes are increasing, therefore it is important to take account of environmental and economic interests of forest use and the exception role of forests in carbon dioxide absorption.