COMPARATIVE METHODS OF BIOMASS AND CARBON STOCK ASSESSMENT OF SOME SELECTED TREE SPECIES USED FOR CHARCOAL PRODUCTION IN THE GUINEA SAVANNA ECOLOGICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

Non-destructive method of above-ground biomass (AGB) and carbon stock assessment is the most frequently used method to quantify the amount of carbon sequestered by the trees/vegetation because it involves assessing the biomass and carbon without cutting down the tree species. However, to validate the claim of the biomass and carbon stock of the non-destructive method, the destructive method must be employed to ascertain the real biomass and carbon stock by harvesting the tree species. This study incorporated both the destructive and non-destructive biomass and carbon stock assessment methods. The results of the independent t-test (t = 3.351, p = 0.00475) between the two methods revealed that the destructive method had higher biomass (M=0.425, SD=0.14313) than the non-destructive method (M=0.2338, SD=0.07463) at an alpha value of 0.05. The ANOVA among the tree species harvested for charcoal production further revealed a significant difference in the mean biomass, where Vitellaria paradoxa and Parkia biglobosa had the highest. At the same time, Pterocarpus erinaceus and Daniellia oliveri recorded the least biomass and carbon stock of the tree species used for charcoal production in the study area.