Abstract
BackgroundJapanese cedar (Chrytomeria japonica D. Don) is an important plantation species in Taiwan and represents 10% of total plantation area. It was first introduced in 1910 and widely planted in the northern and central mountainous areas of Taiwan. However, a change in forest management from exotic species to native species in 1980 had resulted in few new Japanese cedar plantations being established. Most Japanese cedar plantations are now between 30 and 50 years old and reaching their rotation period. It is of interest to know whether these plantations could be viable for future carbon sequestration through the accumulations of stand carbon stocks. Twelve even-aged Japanese cedar stands along a stand age gradient from 37 to 93 years were selected in Xitou of central Taiwan. The study aims were to investigate the basic stand characteristics and biomass carbon stock in current Japanese cedar stands, and determine the relationships among stand characteristics, tree biomass carbon, and stand age.ResultsOur results indicate that existing Japanese cedar plantations are still developing and their live tree biomass carbon continues to accumulate. At stands with a stand age of 90 years, tree density, canopy height, mean diameter at breast height, basal area, and live tree biomass carbon stocks reach to nearly 430 tree ha-1, 27 m, 48 cm, 82 m2 ha-1 and 300 Mg C ha-1, respectively.ConclusionsTherefore, with no harvesting, current Japanese cedar plantations provide a carbon sink by storing carbon in tree biomass.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1999-3110-54-60) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Because the old plantation forests have generally been thought as a carbonneutral state (Odum, 1969), it is of interest to quantify if the “aging” processes of the current Japanese cedar plantations could be able for future C accumulation
Relationship of C stocks to stand age Our results derived from both spatial and temporal data sets indicate that the stand characteristics of tree density, mean diameter at breast height (DBH), canopy height and basal area for present Japanese cedar plantations in Xitou are still developing and that live tree biomass C stocks are continually accumulating
These results are in agreement with the findings of studies of Japanese cedar plantations in Japan that found biomass C continued to accumulate after 90 years of age
Summary
Don) is one of the most important plantation species in Taiwan, representing 10% of the total plantation area (Forestry Bureau, 1994) It was first introduced in Xitou in 1910. Current stand age for most Japanese cedar plantations in Taiwan ranges between 30 and 50 years and reaches or even exceeds their normal rotation period (40–45 years; Wang 1977). This situation has been effectuated partly by a ban on logging in natural forests, which began in 1990, and partly by unfavorable economics in the cedar industry that led to reductions in harvesting. Because the old plantation forests have generally been thought as a carbonneutral state (Odum, 1969), it is of interest to quantify if the “aging” processes of the current Japanese cedar plantations could be able for future C accumulation
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