Abstract
Abstract This work aims to analyze the age structure of forests in Krasnodar Krai in order to estimate their carbon sequestration potential. The research was conducted during 2015–2020 in 14 forested districts of Krasnodar Krai in the Russian Federation. A database of 96,000 sample plots was used. Aspen occupied the maximum area (20% of trees), while much smaller areas were occupied by linden, birch, pine, and oak (p≥0.05 with aspen). Spruce occupied three times smaller areas compared to aspen (p≤0.05), while maple, elm, ash, and alder had ten times smaller areas (p≤0.01). Among deciduous species by age, mature and overmature stands predominate, while in conifers a young growth prevails (44% – for pines). All pine forests belong to the 1st quality class (91%), for birch and aspen, it is 75–80% of trees (p≤0.05 with the frequency for pine), for spruce – 52% (p≤0.05), and for oak – 10% (p≤0.01). Different tree species make different contributions to carbon sequestration – from 0.3 tons per 1 ha (Alnus glutinosa) to 1.7 tons per ha (Fraxinus excelsior). Taking into account the areas occupied in the forest by different tree species, their contribution will also be different – from 0.5 thousand tons/1 year (F. excelsior) to 290 thousand tons per 1 year (Populus tremula). The total increase in wood stocks and carbon sequestration is mainly due to six forest tree species. The results obtained can be used to assess the potential for carbon sequestration in temperate forests, taking into account their different age structure and tree species composition.
Highlights
The primary role of forests globally is to produce oxygen and store carbon dioxide (Pukkala 2020)
This paper aims to study the age structure, species composition, and carbon sequestration potential of forests in Krasnodar Krai, Russia
This study focuses on the tree species composition in the studied forests of Krasnodar Krai to show their variable parameters in wood increment, which defines their different capacity for carbon sequestration
Summary
The primary role of forests globally is to produce oxygen and store carbon dioxide (Pukkala 2020). The most important is carbon sequestration, taking into account the large-scale climate change observed in recent decades. Oxygen production is known to be associated with the ability of forests to absorb carbon dioxide as a result of photosynthetic processes (Akujärvi et al 2019). Global warming is caused by the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide content has increased by one quarter over half a century alone (Ampoorter et al 2020). Photosynthesis is known to be the primary extraction factor for carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Lindner et al 2010). Forests play an important role in extraction as one of the main types of terrestrial vegetation (Palma 2017)
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