Biomass of a man-made forest of timber tree species in the humid tropics of West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Biomass of a mature man-made forest in West Java, Indonesia, was estimated to evaluate the carbon sequestration potential of plantation forest in the humid tropics. Twenty plots, each 0.25ha in area and containing one to six planted species over 40 years of age and with closed canopies, were selected. Trunk dry mass was estimated from trunk diameter, tree height, and bulk density. Maximum trunk diameter (122cm) was observed in a 46-year-old Khaya grandifoliola C. DC. tree, and the tallest tree (51m) was a 46-year-old Shorea selanica (DC.) Blume. The largest trunk biomass (911Mgha–1) was achieved in the plot composed of two Khaya spp. Among the plots composed of indigeneous Dipterocarpaceae species, the largest trunk biomass was 635Mgha–1. These trunk biomasses were larger than those reported from primary rainforests in Southeast Asia (e.g., 403Mgha–1 in East Kalimantan, 522 and 368Mgha–1 in Peninsular Malaysia). The large biomass in this forest suggests that, given favorable conditions, man-made forests can accumulate the quantities of atmospheric carbon that were lost by the logging of primary forests in the humid tropics.