The state and results of studies on the carbon cycle of forests on lands of the Russian forest fund (total area 1172 × 106 ha) are analyzed at the federal level. Consideration is given to changes in the areas of different categories of forest lands, the age structure of stands, the pool and deposition of carbon in the phytomass, and the organic carbon pool of soils over the period from 1966 to 1998; the dynamics of activity in the forest industry by years and the extent of pyrogenic transformation of the forest cover between 1990 and 2001; and carbon fluxes associated with forest exploitation, including carbon emission resulting from fires.

The goals of the present work are to provide an assessment of the carbon budget of the Russian forests and to estimate possible carbon sequestration through forestry and land use activities. The carbon pool in living vegetation of the Russian Forest Fund has varied during the last 35 years between 33 and 35 Gt C, depending on the year. The soil carbon pool is significantly larger than the vegetation pool and varies from 178 to 184 Gt C. The annual accumulation of carbon in growing forests has increased, since 1966, from 185 to 252 Mt C per year. The amount of carbon in wood removed and logging residue decreased from 160 Mt C per year in 1966, to 70 Mt C per year in 1998. The area suitable for reforestation constitutes 45 million ha; an additional 11.0 million ha are designated for afforestation for soil protection purposes. The maximum total annual amount of sequestration due to reforestation and afforestation is 81 Mt C per year. The accumulated carbon pool in the woody biomass of newly established forest stands potentially amounts to 4.1 Gt C.

Comparative calculations of carbon stock and deposition with regard to the forest area and standing crop of individual forest-forming species in administrative regions of the Russian Federation and in logging enterprises were performed (a) by age groups (reference variant) and (b)) by age classes. The average values (x +/- sigma) of ratios of the former to the latter at the total sample size n = 140 were (1) 0.999 +/- 0.069 for the carbon stock in phytomass and (2) 0.961 +/- 0.533 for carbon deposition. On the whole, such ratios for the administrative regions of the Russian Federation and large logging enterprises averaged 1.005 +/- 0.030 (carbon stock) and 1.025 +/- 0.382 (deposition). Optimization of carbon deposition depends on more homogenous distribution of forest areas and standing crops over their age range, with subsequent division into quality classes (or their groups) and (if possible) into stocking density groups.