Comparison of Sampling and Wall-to-Wall Methodologies for Reporting the GHG Inventory of the LULUCF Sector in Korea

Abstract

Although the importance of developing reliable and systematic GHG inventory has increased, the GIS/RS-based national scale LULUCF (Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry) sector analysis is insufficient in the context of the Paris Agreement. In this study, the change in CO₂ storage of forest land due to land use change is estimated using two GIS/RS methodologies, Sampling and Wall‐to‐Wall methods, from 2000 to 2010. Particularly, various imagery with sampling data and land cover maps are used for Sampling and Wall-to-Wall methods, respectively. This land use matrix of these methodologies and the national cadastral statistics are classified by six land‐use categories (Forest land, Cropland, Grassland, Wetlands, Settlements, and Other land). The difference of area between the result of Sampling methods and the cadastral statistics decreases as the sample plot distance decreases. However, the difference is not significant under a 2 km sample plot. In the 2000s, the Wall-to-Wall method showed similar results to sampling under a 2 km distance except for the Settlement category. With the Wall-to-Wall method, CO₂ storage is higher than that of the Sampling method. Accordingly, the Wall-to-Wall method would be more advantageous than the Sampling method in the presence of sufficient spatial data for GHG inventory assessment. These results can contribute to establish an annual report system of national greenhouse gas inventory in the LULUCF sector.