Jointly organized by

This workshop is organized within IEA Bioenergy Task XV/25 ("Greenhouse Gas Balances of Bioenergy Systems") and is part of a series of meetings taking place every 6 to 12 months. For further information on Task XV and on previous workshops, see the World Wide Web at http://www.joanneum.ac.at/IEA-Bioenergy-TaskXV.

The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted on 10 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. This workshop will focus on the consequences of the protocol for forestry and bioenergy projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions or enhancing carbon sinks (for a full version of the protocol see the World Wide Web at http://www.unfccc.de).

The current version of the Kyoto Protocol (which is still subject to technical revision) states that
"... The net changes in greenhouse-gas emissions from sources and removals by sinks, resulting from direct human-induced land-use change and forestry activities, limited to afforestation, reforestation, and deforestation since 1990, measured as verifiable changes in stocks in each commitment period ... shall be used to meet the commitments ...".

Of particular interest at the workshop will be the issue of "baselines" (both in terms of reference land uses and reference energy systems), needed as a benchmark to derive the net carbon benefits of forestry, bioenergy, or other land-use related projects.

• On Monday, March 9, the workshop will be open for Task XV/25 participants only. The agenda includes business items as well as scientific discussions.
• On Tuesday, March 10, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is organizing a seminar on "Bioenergy in the Environment".
• For Wednesday and Thursday (March 11 and 12) the New Zealand Forest Research Institute (NZFRI) is putting together an excursion on behalf of IEA Bioenergy Task XII (with the possibility of Task XV/25 participation), including silvicultural systems, harvesting trials, a bioenergy plant and a geothermal attraction. (The excursion will continue on March 13 for Task XII participants).
• On Friday, March 13, the Task XV/25 workshop will be continued as an open event, with presentations on the workshop topic.

1. From Task XV to Task 25
7. Nomination/confirmation of the National Team Leaders
1. Final Report Task XV
2. Task XV/25 Folder
3. Standard methodology for GHG balances of bioenergy systems: computer tool
4. National projects/research programmes (AUT, CAN, FIN, NZ, SWE, USA)

12³⁰ Lunch

7. Task XV/25 WWW homepage
7. Work Programme 1998-2000 (basis: Task Proposal)
8. Work Programme 1998, to be approved at ExCo 41 (13-14 May, Sweden)
9. Next workshop (September 1998, Finland), other future workshops
10. IPCC collaboration
11. Miscellaneous items

18³⁰ Dinner (at expense of Task XV/25)

9⁴⁵ Technical issues regarding forestry and land-use change in the Kyoto Protocol

10¹⁵ Silvicultural carbon sequestration options under the Kyoto Protocol

11⁰⁰ Implications for forestry of government commitments under the FCCC

16⁴⁵ Forest Ecosystems Elevated CO₂ Project

17⁰⁰ Workshop summary, followed by final discussion

Approx. NZ$230 - including refreshments for morning/afternoon breaks, lunches, BBQ (Wed), hangi dinner and cultural concert, entrance fee Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland (time permitting), and transportation. For registration, exact costs, and additional information please contact Alison Lowe at Forest Research (Lowea@fri.cri.nz).

We have provisionally booked several rooms at each of the following three places (held until 13 February). They all had quite a few rooms left at this stage, but nonetheless you should make your booking a.s.a.p. (please refer to "Justin at Forest Research"; for all accommodation ask for the Forest Research corporate rate!).

All motels above are within walking distance of Forest Research, Sala St., Rotorua, and most of them have units with bedroom, bathroom and full kitchen facilities included, as well as use of hot pools (sometimes private). All offer continental or cooked breakfasts if requested.

If anyone is on a tight budget...

...there is a hostel at Forest Research with very basic single rooms and shared bathroom/kitchen facilities at about NZ$7/night - contact Justin Ford-Robertson (robertsj@fri.cri.nz) for details.

Further information on accomodation in the Rotorua area can be found at: www.rotorua.com/accomm.html

* room rates may vary according to season and unit type/quality

* prices were correct as of May 1997, and may be subject to change

There are plans to publish the workshop proceedings, in a first step unreviewed, very soon after the workshop (i.e., in April). Thus they could be a basis for the discussions at the IPCC Expert Group Meeting in Senegal (5-7 May, 1998) and also be useful for the deliberations leading to the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP4) in Buenos Aires (November 1998).

Hence, in order to allow speedy processing, we will need all papers presented neatly typed, in electronic form (preferably as an e-mail attachment) and a uniform layout,

by 31 March 1998 at the latest (for layout instructions see below).

In a second step the proceedings will be submitted for review and publication with a scientific journal.

• If possible Word for Windows (or other widely used word processing program), to be

provided in electronic form (preferably e-mail attachment, or floppy disk)

• Text: font size 12, Times New Roman

• Section headings: font size 14, bold

Section headings preceded by 2 blank linkes, followed by 1 blank line

• Tables and Figures: Figure captions below figures, table captions above tables. Tables and figures numbered consecutively.

• Paper size: A4, standard margins (left, right 3.17cm/1.25"; top, bottom 2.5cm/1")

• Abstract (max. 150 words), keywords (max. 6);

• Title, followed by names and affiliations, plus e-mail/phone/fax of corresponding author;