A Study on Carbon Sequestration Index as a Tool to Determine the Potential of Greenbelt

Abstract

Background and objective: Carbon is crucial in the biological world, especially in plants. It helps grow plants and stores the absorbed carbon in terms of biomass. In the biogeochemical cycle, carbon gets neutralized in the environment. The increase in population is responsible for the amplified concertation of greenhouse gas (GHG) into the atmosphere, which leads to maximized CO<sub>2</sub> concentration, and consequences global temperatures. Trees play a critical role in the sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the potential of carbon sequestration in urban roadside tree species using the Carbon Sequestration Index as a tool (CSI).Methods: Biophysical estimations such as diameter at breast height (DBH), height, and above and below-ground biomass were measured to assess the carbon sequestration potential of a tree.Results: Results revealed that the potential species present in large numbers are <i>Pongamia pinnata</i>, <i>Azadirachta indica</i>, and <i>Spathodea campanulata</i>. Based on Carbon Sequestration Index results, it is found that <i>Pongamia pinnata</i> and <i>Azadirachta indica</i> act as keystone species in this area and are better than others in removing GHG emissions. The study has also considered the requirement of a total number of trees to neutralize the whole GHG emission of the study area.Conclusion: The total GHG emission of our study area is 39599 kg/yr, where 1041 trees are present inside the boundary, and the entire carbon sequestration is 475921.5 kg/yr. Only 86 trees are sufficient to offset the total GHG emission from this area, whereas 955 trees are surplus for this place.