An assessment of the aboveground phytomass and carbon levels of the forests of northern Telangana, India, using a geospatial technique

Abstract

ABSTRACT An assessment of aboveground phytomass and carbon levels was conducted in the South-Central region of India, in the Telangana State, situated on the high Deccan Plateau. The study is based on field observations at 30 sites using cluster sampling. The sites were selected on homogeneity maps prepared using satellite data of forest cover type maps, forest cover density maps, normalized difference vegetation indices and maps of administrative boundaries. Field observations such as forest types, canopy cover, species, girth and plant height were made for assessing basal area, bole volume, biomass and carbon, first for each tree, then for each plot and then for the entire region. The basal area varied from 0.09 to 40.94 m2/ha, and the phytomass ranged from 0.07 to 174.69 t/ha. The total phytomass in the study area was about 6709.623 t, with a mean value of 859.10 t/ha per site (i.e. 250 × 250 m). The predicted carbon was 5.02 million tons (Mt) (standard deviation [SD] 9.542) against the total phytomass of 10.46 Mt (SD 19.878) for the study area. These data can provide essential information for helping to establish forest policies that support a more sustainable development of local forest resources, as well as for structuring forest management working plans. Key policy insights The study reveals the observed and predicted biomass and carbon of northern Telangana, India. The key purpose of the study is to determine the biomass and carbon content of northern Telangana, in light of the Kyoto Protocol. For the study area, the predicted carbon is 5.02 Mt against the total biomass of 10.46 Mt. The forest density, phytomass and carbon maps are the first of their kind at a landscape scale for the Telangana State of India. These data help to assess and inform forest policies, which contribute towards the sustainable development of forest resources through preserving the ecological integrity of this landscape.