ISO 13391-1:2025
(Main)Wood and wood-based products — Greenhouse gas dynamics — Part 1: Framework for value chain calculations
Wood and wood-based products — Greenhouse gas dynamics — Part 1: Framework for value chain calculations
This document specifies how to calculate the greenhouse gas dynamics of a set of wood and wood-based products on the organizational or aggregated level (the area of study). It includes the greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gas removals, or carbon pools related to: — one or multiple forest management unit(s), — harvested wood product(s), — value chain(s), and — potential displacement of greenhouse gas emissions from alternative products replaced by wood-based products. Together, these four components represent the greenhouse gas dynamics of a set of wood and wood-based products. This document sets general requirements and provides overarching terminology. This document specifies the different components of a greenhouse gas dynamics calculation. This document includes information on how claims and declarations can be communicated based on this document, both within the value chain and to customers and consumers. This document is intended to be used by organizations seeking to understand, commit to or contribute to climate change mitigation. These organizations can be either private or public, regardless of type or size, and located in any jurisdiction or any position within a specific value chain.
Produits en bois et dérivés du bois — Dynamique des gaz à effet de serre — Partie 1: Cadre pour les calculs de la chaîne de valeur
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
International
Standard
ISO 13391-1
First edition
Wood and wood-based products —
2025-04
Greenhouse gas dynamics —
Part 1:
Framework for value chain
calculations
Produits en bois et dérivés du bois — Dynamique des gaz à effet
de serre —
Partie 1: Cadre pour les calculs de la chaîne de valeur
Reference number
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Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .vii
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Overarching requirements and principles . 7
4.1 General .7
4.2 Organizational requirements .8
4.2.1 General .8
4.2.2 Competence and requirements for the greenhouse gas dynamics calculations .8
4.2.3 Control of information, documents and records .9
5 Methodology of calculating greenhouse gas dynamics for wood and wood-based
products . 9
5.1 General requirements .9
5.1.1 System boundaries .9
5.1.2 Calculation of biogenic carbon . 12
5.1.3 Recycled wood-based material. 13
5.1.4 Allocation . 13
5.1.5 Data quality . 13
5.2 Forest management unit (FMU) .16
5.2.1 General requirements .16
5.2.2 Handling of forest carbon balance for purchased material where data is not
available .16
5.3 Calculating greenhouse gas emissions along the value chain .16
5.4 Calculating the contribution to the HWP carbon pool .17
5.4.1 General .17
5.4.2 Tier 1 – Simplified production approach using a stock change method .18
5.4.3 Tier 2 .19
5.4.4 Tier 3 .21
5.4.5 Reuse .21
5.5 End of life .21
5.5.1 General .21
5.5.2 Landfill . 22
5.5.3 Energy recovery . 23
5.5.4 Recycling for production of various materials . 23
5.5.5 Decomposition without energy recovery . 23
5.6 Displacement potential . 23
6 Reporting .23
6.1 General requirements . 23
6.2 Reporting on the scope of the study . 23
6.3 Reporting on the results of the calculations .24
6.3.1 General requirements for reporting results .24
6.3.2 Reporting results for the forest carbon balance .24
6.3.3 Reporting results of displacement potential calculations .24
7 Communication and claims .24
Annex A (informative) Specifications of carbon pools .25
Annex B (informative) Cross-references between components in the ISO 13391 series and
other reference documents .27
Annex C (informative) IPCC tier approach .31
Bibliography .32
iii
Foreword
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vi
Introduction
Climate change is consistently identified as a significant threat to the environment, business and our
collective way of life. Forest management and subsequent wood-based products can make significant
contributions to each of the two principal climate change mitigation goals established in Article 4.1 of the
[23]
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and applied in climate policy at international
and national levels:
— “[.] control, reduce or prevent anthropogenic emissions and of greenhouse gases in all relevant sectors
[…]”; and
— “[…] conservation and enhancement, as appropriate, of sinks and reservoirs of all greenhouse gases
including biomass, forests and oceans as well as other terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems”.
The production and use of wood and wood-based products have the potential to mitigate climate change in
several ways, through:
— sustainable forest management by considering the net amount of carbon sequestered by the forest, and
striving to mitigate impacts from natural disturbances;
— reducing value chain emissions (including emissions associated with forest operations, transport and
processing in the forest and in the industry) to minimize the emissions associated with wood products;
— use of wood products with longer lifetimes and high recycling rates to store carbon for a longer time
period, thereby delaying emissions to the atmosphere; and
— directing the use of wood products to replace emissions-intensive materials and hard-to-abate fossil fuel
burning emissions in order to lower the overall emissions from all sectors.
The ISO 13391 series provides methodologies for calculating the overall greenhouse gas dynamics of wood
and wood-based products across the two climate change mitigation goals established by the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change. It serves as a complement to other methodologies, protocols and life cycle
assessments. The ISO 13391 series can serve as a tool in supporting regulatory policies, strategies and
private sector initiatives for mitigating climate change.
Growing trees sequester carbon from the atmosphere into biomass (above and below ground) and into forest
soils. This benefit is partially counteracted by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use associated with
seedling production, forest management activities, harvesting and subsequent manufacturing. Carbon can
also be emitted from decomposition or combustion in the forest. However, when trees are harvested, the
carbon absorbed by the forest can be preserved in wood-based products for many decades (e.g. in buildings
and in solid wood furniture), with a portion of the carbon returned to the atmosphere in much shorter
timescales, from products that have a shorter service life or are used as fuel. An additional benefit of using
wood-based products occurs when wood-based products substitute alternative products with higher fossil-
based greenhouse gas emissions such as steel, concrete, plastics, and fossil fuels, leading to displacement
(avoidance) of fossil-based greenhouse gas emissions.
Based on the identified and potential contributions of wood and wood-based products to climate change
mitigation, the ISO 13391 series addresses four components of the greenhouse gas dynamics of wood and
wood-based products through the value chain.
With respect to controlling, reducing or preventing emissions:
— value chain greenhouse gas emissions from producing and placing wood-based products on the market
including reuse, recycling and final use or fate; and
— potential prevention of value chain greenhouse gas emissions from alternative products through the use
of wood-based products, including final use or fate.
With respect to greenhouse gas sinks and carbon pools:
— carbon stored in forests, including biomass and soil; and
vii
— carbon stored in wood-based products throughout the value chain, including recycling and final use or fate.
NOTE 1 The displacement potential of greenhouse gas emissions (avoided emissions) is calculated based on the
two components addressing:
— value chain greenhouse gas emissions for wood-based products; and
— value chain greenhouse gas emissions from alternative products.
The calculation also uses information about the biogenic carbon contained in both product(s) or product system(s)
where appropriate.
Figure 1 shows how the four components of the greenhouse gas dynamics fit together – namely the carbon
stored in the forest; the wood-based carbon relating to storage in harvested wood products; the wood-based
value chain greenhouse gas emissions; and the value chain greenhouse gas emissions from the alternative
products. The two components on the right-hand side of Figure 1 can be combined to derive the displacement
potential by subtracting the wood-based value chain greenhouse gas emissions from the sum of the value
chain greenhouse gas emissions from the alternative product(s). The details of this calculation are given in
ISO 13391-3. Each component is calculated and reported on separately. Users of this document can report
calculations on one or several components, provided the choices are explained.
NOTE 2 The wood-based product can be a product or a product system based predominantly on woody materials,
e.g. it can be a building element with a wood content.
NOTE 3 Bio-CCS refers to carbon capture and storage of biogenic emissions.
Figure 1 — Illustration of the components of the greenhouse gas dynamics of wood and wood-based
products
The greenhouse gas-related aspects of forests, wood and wood-based products are one among a set of
interrelated aspects of sustainability. The ISO 13391 series does not address other connections between
the climate and forests and wood and wood-based products, nor does it address important aspects of
sustainability, such as biodiversity, climate resilience, water resources and societal impacts.
The goal of the ISO 13391 series is to provide tools to assess each component which can be reported in
appropriate combinations to understand greenhouse gas dynamics of wood and wood-based products
for the entire value chain and combine multiple products at an organizational or aggregated level (while
providing information about data quality and system boundary differences that this can contain).
This document addresses the overall framework for greenhouse gas dynamics calculations. It also links the
other parts of the ISO 13391 series together. This document also covers two of the four components: value
viii
chain greenhouse gas emissions for wood-based products, and the calculation of carbon in the harvested
wood products carbon pool.
ISO 13391-2 addresses the carbon balance of forest management units. The forest carbon balance can vary
widely. Influences include tree species composition and distribution, the local climate and soil type, and
the sustainability of forest management practices. In addition, external factors such as fire, drought, pests
and diseases can add increasing risk to stores of forest carbon, whilst other factors can enhance carbon
removals.
ISO 13391-3 addresses displacement of greenhouse gas emissions, the situation in which wood-based
products or product systems placed on the market are assumed to replace alternative products or product
systems with higher greenhouse gas emission profiles.
ix
International Standard ISO 13391-1:2025(en)
Wood and wood-based products — Greenhouse gas
dynamics —
Part 1:
Framework for value chain calculations
1 Scope
This document specifies how to calculate the greenhouse gas dynamics of a set of wood and wood-based
products on the organizational or aggregated level (the area of study). It includes the greenhouse gas
emissions, greenhouse gas removals, or carbon pools related to:
— one or multiple forest management unit(s),
— harvested wood product(s),
— value chain(s), and
— potential displacement of greenhouse gas emissions from alternative products replaced by wood-based
products.
Together, these four components represent the greenhouse gas dynamics of a set of wood and wood-based
products.
This document sets general requirements and provides overarching terminology.
This document specifies the different components of a greenhouse gas dynamics calculation.
This document includes information on how claims and declarations can be communicated based on this
document, both within the value chain and to customers and consumers.
This document is intended to be used by organizations seeking to understand, commit to or contribute to
climate change mitigation. These organizations can be either private or public, regardless of type or size,
and located in any jurisdiction or any position within a specific value chain.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 13391-2, Wood and wood-based products — Greenhouse gas dynamics — Part 2: Forest carbon balance
ISO 13391-3, Wood and wood-based products — Greenhouse gas dynamics — Part 3: Displacement of greenhouse
gas emissions
ISO 14020:2022, Environmental statements and programmes for products — Principles and general
requirements
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
greenhouse gas dynamics
group of greenhouse gas sources (3.11), greenhouse gas sinks (3.9) and greenhouse gas fluxes reported
together for forest management unit(s) (3.20), harvested wood product(s) (3.23), value chain(s) (3.32), and
displacement potential (3.4) within defined system boundaries (3.33) and within a specified time period
3.2
forest carbon balance
net of greenhouse gas (3.7) emissions and removals of forest management unit(s) (3.20) within a specified
time period
Note 1 to entry: The five carbon pools (3.8) of the forest (3.19) are included.
Note 2 to entry: Value chain (3.32) greenhouse gas emissions related to forestry operations (3.21), for example, are
excluded.
3.3
displacement
situation in which the use of any wood (3.22) and wood-based products (3.23) contribute to avoiding
greenhouse gas (3.7) emissions from alternative products (3.5), excluding biogenic CO emissions
Note 1 to entry: "Displacement" is a broader term than substitution (3.6).
Note 2 to entry: The scale of displacement will depend on market conditions.
3.4
displacement potential
quantity of avoided greenhouse gas (3.7) emissions due to displacement (3.3) based on the quantity of
products placed on the market
Note 1 to entry: Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (3.13) (t CO e).
3.5
emissions from alternative products
value chain greenhouse gas (3.7) emissions from a product or product system potentially not occurring due
to the use of a product or product system containing wood (3.22) with functional equivalence
Note 1 to entry: A “product system” can be, for example, a building element.
3.6
substitution
situation in which a specific wood-based product (3.23), assembly, structure or building is used instead of
a specific alternative product, assembly, structure or building (with functional equivalence), thus leading
to avoided greenhouse gas (3.7) emissions associated with the alternative product, assembly, structure or
building
3.7
greenhouse gas
GHG
gaseous constituent of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorbs and emits radiation
at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, the
atmosphere and clouds
[SOURCE: ISO 14050:2020, 3.9.1]
3.8
carbon pool
component in the environment, other than the atmosphere, that has the capacity to accumulate, store or
release carbon
EXAMPLE Forest (3.19) biomass (3.15), wood-based products (3.23) and soils.
Note 1 to entry: The quantity of stored carbon is expressed as a mass.
Note 2 to entry: See 5.1.1 and Annex A for details on the carbon pools included in this document.
3.9
carbon stock
total mass of carbon contained in a carbon pool (3.8) at a specified point in time
3.10
greenhouse gas sink
process that removes a greenhouse gas (3.7) from the atmosphere
Note 1 to entry: A given carbon pool (3.8) can act as a net sink for atmospheric greenhouse gases if, during a given time
interval, more carbon is sequestered from the atmosphere or transferred to that pool than released.
[SOURCE: ISO 14064-1:2018, 3.1.3, modified — Note 1 to entry added.]
3.11
greenhouse gas source
process that releases a greenhouse gas (3.7) into the atmosphere
Note 1 to entry: A given carbon pool (3.8) can act as a net source for greenhouse gases, aerosols or precursors of
greenhouse gases if, during a given time interval, more carbon is released than sequestered or transferred to that pool.
Note 2 to entry: Greenhouse gas sources include the combustion of fossil fuels, forest fires and respiration.
[SOURCE: ISO 14064-1:2018, 3.1.2, modified — Notes 1 and 2 to entry added.]
3.12
carbon fluxes
amount of carbon exchanged between carbon pools (3.8) and between a carbon pool and the atmosphere
over a specified time period
3.13
carbon dioxide equivalent
CO e
CO equivalent
unit for comparing the radiative forcing of a greenhouse gas (3.7) to that of carbon dioxide
Note 1 to entry: Non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases are converted to CO e using Global Warming Potentials (GWP).
These are found in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) publications and are typically based
on a 100 year time horizon. Other GWP time horizons are sometimes used and reported separately.
[SOURCE: ISO 14050:2020, 3.9.3, modified — Note 1 to entry added]
3.14
biogenic carbon storage
carbon that has been removed from the atmosphere and retained for some time as biogenic carbon in
biomass (3.15) or in wood-based products (3.23)
3.15
biomass
material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations or transformed to
fossilized material
[SOURCE: ISO 13065:2015, 3.4, modified — “raw material” has been replaced with "material".]
3.16
allocation
partitioning of the inputs or outputs of a process or product system between the product system under
study and one or more other product systems
Note 1 to entry: Definition adapted from the description in ISO 14044:2006/Amd 2:2020, Clause D.1.
3.17
primary data
quantified value of a unit process or an activity obtained from a direct measurement or a calculation based
on direct measurements at the original source
[SOURCE: ISO 14050:2020, 3.6.34]
3.18
secondary data
data that have already been collected and are available from another source or which are indirectly derived,
and do not fulfil the requirements for primary data (3.17)
Note 1 to entry: Secondary data can include data from databases and published literature, default greenhouse gas
emission factors from national inventories, calculated data, estimates or other representative data, validated by
competent authorities.
Note 2 to entry: Secondary data can include data obtained from proxy processes or estimates.
[SOURCE: ISO 14067:2018, 3.1.6.3, modified — “data which” has been replaced by “data that have already
been collected and are available from another source or which are indirectly derived, and”]
3.19
forest
land spanning more than 0,5 ha (5 000 m ) with trees higher than 5 m and a canopy cover of more than
10 %, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ
Note 1 to entry: A forest is determined both by the presence of trees and the absence of other predominant land uses.
The trees should be able to reach a minimum height of 5 m in situ.
Note 2 to entry: A forest includes areas with young trees that have not yet reached but which are expected to reach a
canopy cover of 10 % and tree height of 5 m. The term also includes areas that are temporarily unstocked due to clear-
cutting as part of a forest management practice or natural disasters, and which are expected to be regenerated within
5 years. Local conditions can, in exceptional cases, justify that a longer time frame is used.
Note 3 to entry: A forest also includes:
— forest roads, firebreaks and other small open areas;
— forest in national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas such as those of specific environmental,
scientific, historical, cultural or spiritual interest;
— windbreaks, shelterbelts and corridors of trees with an area of more than 0,5 ha (5 000 m ) and width of more
than 20 m;
— abandoned shifting cultivation land with a regeneration of trees that have, or are expected to reach, a canopy
cover of 10 % and tree height of 5 m;
— areas with mangroves in tidal zones, regardless whether this area is classified as land area or not;
— rubber-wood, cork oak and Christmas tree plantations;
— areas with bamboo and palms provided that land use, height and canopy cover criteria are met;
— areas outside the legally designated forest land which meet the definition of “forest”.
Note 4 to entry: A forest does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use. It also
excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems, such as fruit tree plantations, palm oil plantations, olive
orchards and agroforestry systems when crops are grown under tree cover. However, some agroforestry systems such
as the “Taungya” system where crops are grown only during the first years of the forest rotation should be classified
as forest.
Note 5 to entry: National definitions can lead to smaller or larger area of forests in national inventories.
[29]
[SOURCE: FAO, modified — information has been reorganized to fit the structure of an International
Standard. Note 5 to entry and conversions from ha to m have been added.]
3.20
forest management unit
FMU
area of forest (3.19) where wood (3.22) is sourced for wood-based products (3.23)
Note 1 to entry: An FMU has clearly defined boundaries and can cover different sizes. It can include sites which are not
adjoining.
Note 2 to entry: An FMU can be subject to different land ownership arrangements.
Note 3 to entry: An FMU can be characterized by areas with similar ecology and under similar management practices
(see ISO 13391-2:2025, 4.3).
Note 4 to entry: Forest areas not primarily used for wood production, or set-aside areas for nature conservation or
other purposes, can be included in the FMU.
Note 5 to entry: National definitions or practices can lead to inclusion of additional areas where wood is sourced,
subject to, for example, agroforestry or tree plantations.
Note 6 to entry: The terms ”land ownership” and “set-aside areas”” are defined in ISO 13391-2:2025, 3.3 and 3.1.
3.21
forestry operations
activities performed during forest management, including but not limited to planting, thinning and
harvesting
Note 1 to entry: The terms “harvesting” and “thinning” are defined in ISO 13391-2:2025, 3.6 and 3.7.
3.22
wood
lignocellulosic substance between the pith and bark of a tree or a shrub
[SOURCE: ISO 38200:2018, 3.2]
3.23
wood-based product
harvested wood product
HWP
product wholly or partially derived from wood (3.22) or wooden components
Note 1 to entry: The product can be the result of mechanical, chemical, biological and/or thermal processing.
Note 2 to entry: In the context of reporting the carbon pools (3.8), as defined in Annex A, wood-based products and
harvested wood products can include cork (3.25) or lignified material other than wood (3.24).
[SOURCE: ISO 38200:2018, 3.3, modified — Additional preferred terms “harvested wood product” and
“HWP” added and Note 2 to entry has been added.]
3.24
lignified material other than wood
lignocellulosic material deriving from the bark of a tree or shrub or from perennial plants which are not able
to form wood (3.22) due to the lack of a growth layer (cambium)
EXAMPLE Bamboo, rattan.
[SOURCE: ISO 38200:2018, 3.4]
3.25
cork
protective layer of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber L.), which can be periodically removed from its trunk
and branches to provide the raw material for cork products
[SOURCE: ISO 38200:2018, 3.5]
3.26
recycled material
material that has been recovered, or otherwise diverted, from the waste stream, either from the
manufacturing process (i.e. post-industrial recycled materials, but not in-house scrap) or after consumer
use (i.e. post-consumer recycled materials), for use in the manufacture of new products
Note 1 to entry: Excluded are by-products such as sawmilling by-products (e.g. sawdust, chips, bark) or forestry
residues (e.g. bark, chips from branches, roots).
[SOURCE: ISO 38200:2018, 3.12, modified — “that is reused” has been replaced with “for use” and “and for
which the organization can provide evidence of compliance with the requirements of the Due Diligence
System” has been deleted]
3.27
end of life
scenario in which a product is taken out of use and its resources are either recovered for processing or it is
disposed of
Note 1 to entry: The phrase “taken out of use” refers to when the product is no longer usable or ceases to exist in its
current form.
Note 2 to entry: A material can have several product cycles, each with its own end of life stage, before it reaches its
fate (3.29).
3.28
final use
recovery of energy or other residual value through the final disposal process of the product or material
Note 1 to entry: This excludes recycling into another material product.
Note 2 to entry: Final use is relevant to displacement (3.3) calculations.
3.29
fate
ultimate disposal pathway for a product or material
Note 1 to entry: Disposal can be, for example, by combustion, deposition into landfill, decomposition in the natural
environment, or a combination thereof, and includes final use (3.28) when applicable.
3.30
decay rate
rate at which wood (3.22) or products that store carbon are lost from the relevant carbon pool (3.8), for
example at end of life (3.27)
Note 1 to entry: This can be modelled with various mathematical models based on scientific information.
3.31
half-life
number of years it takes to lose one half of the material currently in the pool
3.32
value chain
entire sequence of activities or parties that create or receive value through the provision of a product or
material
[SOURCE: ISO 14050:2020, 3.5.28, modified — "or material" has been added.]
3.33
system boundary
boundary based on a set of criteria specifying which processes and activities are part of the product system
or the
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