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1. Where the conditions set out in paragraphs 2 and 5 of this Article are met, Member States may exclude non-anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources resulting from natural disturbances from calculations relevant to their accounting obligations pursuant to points (a), (b) and (d) of Article 3(1).

2. Where Member States apply paragraph 1 of this Article, they shall calculate, in accordance with the methodology specified in Annex VII, a background level for each of the activities referred to in points (a), (b) and (d) of Article 3(1). Points (a) and (b) of Article 3(1) shall have a common background level. Alternatively, Member States may apply a transparent and comparable country-specific methodology using a consistent and initially complete time series of data, including for the period from 1990 to 2009.

3. Member States may exclude from their LULUCF accounts, either annually or at the end of the respective accounting period, the non-anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources exceeding the background level as calculated in accordance with paragraph 2 where:

(a) the emissions in a particular year of the accounting period exceed the background level plus a margin. Where the background level is calculated in accordance with the method specified in Annex VII, that margin shall be equal to twice the standard deviation of the time series used to calculate the background level. Where the background level is calculated using a country-specific methodology, Member States shall describe the manner in which the margin has been established, in cases where such a margin is needed. Any methodology used shall avoid the expectation of net credits during the accounting period;

(b) the information requirements in paragraph 5 are met and reported by the Member States.

4. Every Member State which excludes non-anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources from natural disturbances in a particular year of the accounting period shall:

(a) exclude from accounting for the rest of the accounting period all subsequent removals on lands affected by natural disturbances and on which the emissions referred to in paragraph 3 have occurred;

(b) not exclude emissions resulting from harvesting and salvage logging activities that took place on those lands following the occurrence of the natural disturbances;

(c) not exclude emissions resulting from prescribed burning that took place on those lands in that particular year of the accounting period;

(d) not exclude emissions on lands that were subject to deforestation following the occurrence of natural disturbances.

5. Member States may exclude non-anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources from natural disturbances only if they provide transparent information demonstrating:

(a) that all land areas affected by natural disturbances in that particular reporting year have been identified, including their geographical location, year and types of natural disturbances;

(b) that no deforestation has occurred during the rest of the respective accounting period on lands that were affected by natural disturbances and in respect of which emissions were excluded from accounting;

(c) which verifiable methods and criteria will be used to identify deforestation on those lands in the subsequent years of the accounting period;

(d) where practicable, which measures the Member State undertook to manage or control the impact of those natural disturbances;

(e) where possible, which measures the Member State undertook to rehabilitate the lands affected by those natural disturbances.

6. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 12 to revise the information requirements referred to in paragraph 5 of this Article in order to reflect revisions to acts adopted by the bodies of the UNFCCC or of the Kyoto Protocol.