Greenhouse gas emissions and removals in land and forests

The forestry sector has been the main contributor to carbon dioxide (CO₂) sequestration over the past few decades, with a balance of – 8.0 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂eq) in 2015 (– 8.5 Mt CO₂eq for land use, land use change and forestry overall). However, prolonged droughts resulted in the largest bark beetle calamity on record, beginning in the Jeseníky region of northern Moravia in 2015 and gradually spreading to all regions in the following years. The subsequent increase in incidental wood logging led to a significant reduction in forest stocks and an increase in the emission balance, shifting from a negative to a positive value in 2018 and peaking in 2020 at + 10.4 Mt CO₂eq. After 2020, the bark beetle calamity gradually stabilised, incidental wood logging decreased and record-breaking forest regeneration took place in the affected areas, resulting in a balance of –2.0 Mt CO₂eq in 2023 (– 3.6 Mt CO₂eq for land use, land use change and forestry overall). Fully restoring the ability of forest ecosystems to sequester carbon and storing a greater share of carbon in wood products are priorities for the coming years. However, due to recent developments, Czechia is currently on track to meet the target for CO₂ removals by 2030.