Tree species suitable for roadside afforestation and carbon sequestration in Bilaspur, India

Abstract

The CO2 stocks in roadside trees in Bilaspur, India, were estimated using a systematic sampling method on 30 sample plots. The sampling plots covered a total area of 3 ha. The region housed 438 trees of 37 species and 17 families, with an accumulated biomass of 101.44 t, 48.18 t of carbon and 176.64 t of CO2. Delonix regia had the largest amounts of species-specific biomass and CO2 stocks, followed by Tamarindus indica, Ficus religiosa, Albizia lebbeck and Ficus benghalensis. Azadirachta indica, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Samanea saman and Senna siamea had the highest numbers and relative abundances in roadside plantations. The 10 tree species that sequestered more than 80% of Bilaspur’s CO2 were, in order of highest to lowest sequestration, Delonix regia, Samanea saman, Tamarindus indica, Azadirachta indica, Ficus religiosa, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Albizia lebbeck, Terminalia catappa, Ficus benghalensis and Terminalia arjuna. These tree species are therefore recommended for roadside plantations to sequester large amounts of CO2 from the city and contribute to offsetting warming and mitigating the impact of climate change.