Abstract
Quantifying the tropical forests’ carbon stocks is presently an important component in the implementation of the emerging carbon credit market mechanisms. This calls for appropriate allometric equations predicting biomass which currently are scarce. In this study, we aimed to estimate above- and below-ground biomass and carbon stocks of trees, and to identify the variation in diameter-height allometry of Ipendja mixed terra firme lowland tropical forest’s trees. The study area is located at Ipendja forest management unit (UFA), close to Dongou district (Likouala Department), in Northern Republic of Congo. This study combined forest inventory data of 1340 trees recorded from eight studied plots distributed in two sites, respectively Mokelimwaekili (i.e., Old-growth forest) and Sombo (i.e., Selective logging forest). Trees measurements were done with rectangular plots, each 25 × 200 m (i.e., 0.5 ha, 5000 m2). In eight studied plots (4 plots per site), only trees with DBH ≥ 10 cm were measured and identified. 1340 trees founded were belonged 145 species and 36 botanical families (n = 733 and n = 607, for Sombo and Mokelimwaekili respectively). The analyses were conducted using allometric method for aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) estimations. The results showed that in Ipendja forest ecosystem the mean biomass is built up for AGB (346 Mg·ha-1) as well as for BGB (81.3 Mg·ha-1), with a significant difference between forest types (F = 23.46, df = 7.771, P = 0.001). It was obvious that biomasses in Mokelimwaekili (AGB: 559.7 Mg·ha-1, BGB: 131 Mg·ha-1) were higher than those of Sombo (AGB: 291.8 Mg·ha-1, BGB: 68.5 Mg·ha-1). By this study, Ipendja forest ecosystem has clearly variations on the diameter-height relationship and biomass across the plots and the sites.
Highlights
The importance of forests in carbon (C) cycling has gained increasing attention in recent years
The study area is located at Ipendja forest management unit (UFA), close to Dongou district (Likouala Department), in Northern Republic of Congo
The results showed that in Ipendja forest ecosystem the mean biomass is built up for aboveground biomass (AGB) (346 Mg·ha−1) as well as for belowground biomass (BGB) (81.3 Mg·ha−1), with a significant difference between forest types (F = 23.46, df = 7.771, P = 0.001)
Summary
The importance of forests in carbon (C) cycling has gained increasing attention in recent years. While there has been much debate and exploration of the analytical methods for calculating biomass, the methods used to determine rates of wood production have not been evaluated to the same degree [13] [14] [15] [16]. This affects assessment of ecosystem fluxes and may have wider implications if inventory data are used to parameterize biosphere models, or scaled to large areas in carbon sequestration assessment [17]. A considerable amount of data on aboveground biomass (AGB) stored in alive trees in lowland tropical forests, and the factors affecting it, have become available in the past few years [1] [22] [23]
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