6 - Carbon Balance of Forests

Abstract

This chapter focuses on carbon balance of forests, which is the end result of carbon dioxide absorption through stomata and photosynthesis. According ecologists, forest productivity is a matter of total biomass production and the flows of carbon exist in the trees and through various parts of the system as a whole. The carbon balance of forests plays a significant role in global carbon balance. The patterns of carbon uptake by forests and the release of carbon dioxide are significant factors in the global carbon balance. Further, net primary production (NPP) is discussed in this chapter. The difference between leaf photosynthesis, net photorespiration, and the carbon lost by autotrophic respiration is called NPP. It can be estimated from sequential sampling of standing biomass and litter fall. There have been many studies using these methods in forests. It is very difficult to estimate belowground biomass and fine root turnover; most biomass data are for above-ground biomass and NPP components only. The net ecosystem production (NEP) is used to measure the net flux of carbon dioxide to extensive areas of forest by the micrometeorological technique known as the eddy correlation.