Carbon stocks in the Guinea savanna of Ghana: estimates from three protected areas

Abstract

AbstractSavannas are widespread in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) and play a major role in the global carbon balance. Extensive quantification of savanna carbon stocks in SSA will therefore contribute to better accounting of the global carbon budget in the era of climate change. In this study, we investigated the spatial distribution of carbon stocks of different soil fractions and aboveground biomass within three forest reserves in the Guinea savanna zone of Ghana. Soil carbon stocks (SCSs) ranged from 4.80 to 12.61 Mg C/ha in surface soils (0–10 cm depth). Higher SCSs were associated with the silt +clay fraction than microaggregates and small macroaggregates in all three reserves. Relative to the dominant tree species (Vitellaria paradoxa), the highest SCSs were recorded under the sub‐canopy (SC), drip line (DL), and interspace (2 * SC + DL) zones for the Klupene, Sinsablegbinni, and Kenikeni forest reserves, respectively. The highest tree carbon stock was 60.01 Mg C/ha in Kenikeni. Sinsablegbinni had an average stock of 26.74 Mg C/ha and had the highest tree density. Average carbon capture by a single tree ranged from 0.04 to 0.34 Mg C. Aboveground grass carbon stock ranged from 0.08 to 0.47 Mg C/ha, while the belowground carbon stock ranged from 0.03 to 0.44 Mg C/ha. Accumulation of carbon in the aboveground grass biomass was greater at Klupene with low forest cover.