Carbon Storage and Allocation Pattern in Plant Biomass among Different Forest Plantation Stands in Guangdong, China

Yuanqi Chen,Chenfei Liang,Shenglei Fu,Xingquan Rao,Xi-An Cai,Zhanfeng Liu,Yongbiao Lin,Lixia Zhou,Xiaoling Wang

doi:10.3390/f6030794

Abstract

In order to understand how carbon storage and allocation patterns vary among plantation types, we estimated carbon allocation between above- and below-ground compartments in four subtropical plantations and a naturally recovered shrubland (as a control). Results indicated that the carbon storage and allocation pattern varied greatly among forest types and was highly dependent on specific traits of trees and understory vegetation. The fast-growing species, such as Eucalyptus urophylla, accumulated more carbon in plant biomass. The biomass carbon was about 1.9- and 2.2-times greater than the 10-species mixed plantation and Castanopsis hystrix plantations, respectively. Meanwhile, the plantations sequestered 1.5- to 3-times more carbon in biomass than naturally recovered shrubland. The carbon allocation pattern between above- and below-ground compartments also varied with plantation type and stand age. The ratio of tree root carbon to tree aboveground carbon decreased with stand age for Eucalyptus urophylla and the 10-species mixed plantation. In contrast, the ratio increased for Acacia crassicarpa. Our data suggested that planting the fast-growing species in the degraded land of subtropical China was an effective choice in terms of carbon sequestration. The information about carbon allocation patterns was also valuable for decision making in sustainable forest management and climate change mitigation.

Highlights

In recent centuries, the concentration of atmospheric CO2 has increased to 380 ppm, mainly due to human activities [1]
There was no significant difference between Eucalyptus urophylla monoculture (EU) and Acacia crassicarpa monoculture (AC) in tree carbon storage with, an exception during the first year
We found that the contribution of the sum of shrubs and herbs to total carbon storage of AC and MX

Summary

Introduction

The concentration of atmospheric CO2 has increased to 380 ppm, mainly due to human activities [1]. The carbon storage capacity of forest ecosystems has been the focus of significant research [3]. In the last two decades, the carbon sequestration function of forest systems has been significantly increased in China [4]. The plantation forests contributed about 80% of the total forest carbon sink increment of China [5]. The area of plantations in China was about 6.9 × 107 ha and accounted for about one third of the world’s plantation area [6]. Most of these plantations are still immature [7] and show a substantial potential for carbon sequestration [8].

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