Abstract

Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon (C) storage in forest ecosystems significantly affect the terrestrial C budget, but such patterns are unclear in the forests in Hainan Province, the largest tropical island in China. Here, we estimated the spatial and temporal patterns of C storage from 1993–2008 in Hainan's forest ecosystems by combining our measured data with four consecutive national forest inventories data. Forest coverage increased from 20.7% in the 1950s to 56.4% in the 2010s. The average C density of 163.7 Mg C/ha in Hainan's forest ecosystems in this study was slightly higher than that of China's mainland forests, but was remarkably lower than that in the tropical forests worldwide. Total forest ecosystem C storage in Hainan increased from 109.51 Tg in 1993 to 279.17 Tg in 2008. Soil C accounted for more than 70% of total forest ecosystem C. The spatial distribution of forest C storage in Hainan was uneven, reflecting differences in land use change and forest management. The potential carbon sequestration of forest ecosystems was 77.3 Tg C if all forested lands were restored to natural tropical forests. To increase the C sequestration potential on Hainan Island, future forest management should focus on the conservation of natural forests, selection of tree species, planting of understory species, and implementation of sustainable practices.

Highlights

  • Carbon (C) storage in forest ecosystems is one of the largest and most active components of C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and plays an important role in global C cycling and climate change [1,2]

  • Information on the spatial distribution of C sources and sinks and their temporal changes is critical for understanding C cycle mechanisms and is essential for formulating climate change policies [3]

  • Forest coverage on Hainan Island increased from 20.7% in the 1950s to 56.4% in the 2010s

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Summary

Introduction

Carbon (C) storage in forest ecosystems is one of the largest and most active components of C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and plays an important role in global C cycling and climate change [1,2]. Information on the spatial distribution of C sources and sinks and their temporal changes is critical for understanding C cycle mechanisms and is essential for formulating climate change policies [3]. Estimation of C budgets at large spatial scales has received increasing attention in recent years [4]. Conflicting results on tropical forest C storage have been reported. Houghton et al (1992), for example, indicated that tropical forests are a C source (from 1.2 to 2.2 Pg C/yr) because of deforestation and forest degradation [6]. Malhi and Grace (2000), in contrast, reported that tropical forests are C sinks (1–3 Pg C/yr) while northern forests are C sources [7]. Further studies on C storage in tropical forests at large scales are still needed

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