Carbon storage and carbon sequestration potential under the Grain for Green Program in Henan Province, China

Abstract

As an important target province for implementation of the Grain for Green Program (GGP) in China, the carbon storage and carbon sequestration potential in living tree biomass and soil organic carbon under the GGP in Henan Province were estimated. In this study, we compiled the planted area for different tree species under the GGP in Henan Province during 200–2012 by using empirical growth curves and some parameters to estimate the carbon stock in the living tree biomass from 2000 to 2060. The empirically-based equation for the change in soil organic carbon (SOC) under China’s GGP was applied to estimate the carbon stock change in SOC for Henan Province. The total carbon storage under the Henan Province’s GGP was 51.73Tg in 2012. The total carbon storage of the later period (2007–2012) was greater than that of the earlier period (2000–2006), and the annual mean carbon sequestration was 1.63Tgyr−1 from 2000 to 2012. The carbon sequestration potential in the south zone was higher than that of other zones in Henan Province. The potential increments of carbon sink of the GGP in Henan Province are expected to reach 54.05Tg, 104.23Tg, 129.23Tg, 136.97Tg and 139.35Tg in 2020, 2030, 2040, 2050 and 2060, respectively. Therefore, Henan Province’s GGP has a large carbon sequestration function and potential.