COFORMIT (COntribution FOrest MITigation)

Συνεισφορά των δενδροφυτεμένων εκτάσεων του λιγνιτικού κέντρου Δυτικής Μακεδονίας στην προστασία του περιβάλλοντος και στο μετριασμό της κλιματικής αλλαγής.

Project duration: 36 months

The COFORMIT research project, in which Democritus University of Thrace and the companies PPC and ena DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS are involved, will scientifically substantiate the contribution of the tree plantations in the restored areas of the Western Macedonia Lignite Center in environmental protection and climate change mitigation. The reduction of carbon and environmental footprint, due to the tree plantations, will be calculated. Forests and plantations (reforestations) play an important role worldwide in reducing the effects of climate change, because they absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis and bind it to the biomass produced.

Increasing absorption can be achieved, either by expanding forests or by taking management measures to enhance carbon storage in forest ecosystems. Carbon is stored in forest ecosystems in five pools: aboveground and underground biomass, forest floor, dead wood and soil carbon. Companies that emit CO2 can plant trees and reforest an area, with the aim of reducing the overall emission balance. To achieve this there must be a certified system for recording the absorption and emissions of ecosystems. Until today, there is nothing similar in Greece. It is necessary to calculate absorption units and to develop a methodology for determining CO2 absorption from plantations, which can be accurately applied to all storage pools. Carbon absorption units must also be calculated.

This project will highlight the role of tree plantations and forests in the retention of particulate matter and in the provision of environmental services, as they improve air quality, with a direct effect on protecting human health. It is necessary to accurately measure the amount of suspended particlate matter that can be retained by tree plantations and to assess their contribution to the environmental footprint. The project will contribute to the establishment and landscaping of a recreational park model within the boundaries of the restored areas of PPC. The environmental services of tree plantations and forest recreation will be highlighted.