Carbon Dynamics Projection for the Quercus petraea and Robinia pseudoacacia Species - Case Study

Abstract

Atmospheric CO2 is rising rapidly. As forests cover some 43% of the Earth’s surface, they are considered to be the largest terrestrial carbon sink on Planet Earth. Within this study, calculations of the most abundant tree species were conducted in the study area, which is situated in the Eastern region of Romania. Thus, the forest carbon balance for the Oak (Quercus petraea) and Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) species were projected for the period of 2015 - 2040. Data from management plans were used and analyzed using a forest model that is projecting forest resource development on regional up to European scale, known as The European Forest Information SCENario Model - EFISCEN. This study is aiming to point out the potential of the Oak and Black Locust forests to store carbon within the aforementioned period considering that the same management practices will be applied. The results of the simulation show that the forests accumulate CO2 over time and also their magnitude can be observed. Conclusions can be drawn from the comparative analysis of the input data and the simulation results, considering the limitation of the used data in terms of their precision.