Ground Biomass Carbon Research Articles

Biomass Carbon Content in Schima- Castanopsis Forest of Midhills of Nepal: A Case Study from Jaisikuna Community Forest, Kaski

Community forests of Nepal’s midhills have high potentiality to sequester carbon. This paper tries to analyze the biomass carbon stock in Schima-Castanopsis forest of Jaisikuna community forests of Kaski district, Nepal. Forest area was divided into two blocks and 18 sample plots (9 in each block) which were laid randomly. Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and height of trees (DBH≥5cm) were measured using the DBH tape and clinometer. Leaf litter, herbs, grasses and seedlings were collected from 1*1m2 plot and fresh weight was taken. For calculating carbon biomass is multiplied by default value 0.47. The AGTB carbon content of Chilaune, Katus and other species were found 19.56 t/ha, 18.66 t/ha and 3.59 t/ha respectively. The AGTB of Chilaune dominated, Katus dominated and whole forest was found 43.78 t/ha, 39.83 t/ha and 41.81 t/ha respectively. Carbon content at leaf litter, herbs, grasses and seedlings was found 2.73 t/ha. Below ground biomass carbon at whole forest was found 6.27 t/ha. Total biomass and carbon of the forest was found 108.09 t/ha and 50.80 t/ha respectively. Difference in biomass and carbon content at Chilaune dominated block and Katus dominated block was found insignificant. This study record very low biomass carbon content than average of Nepal's forest but this variation in carbon stock is not necessarily due to dominant species present in the forest. Carbon estimation at forest of different elevation, aspect and location are recommended for further research. International Journal of EnvironmentVolume-6, Issue-4, Sep-Nov 2017, page: 72-84

Biomass Carbon Content in Schima-Castanopsis Forest of Midhills of Nepal: A Case Study from Jaisikuna Community Forest, Kaski

Forests are considered as both the source and sinks of carbon. Different types of forests have different carbon stock. Nepal's midhills community forests have high potentiality to sequester carbon. This paper analyzes the biomass carbon stock in Schima-Castanopsis forest of Jaisikuna community forests of Kaski district, Nepal. Forest area was divided into two blocks and 18 sample plots (9 in each block) were laid randomly. Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and height of trees (DBH≥5cm) were measured using the DBH tape and clinometer. Leaflitter, herbs, grasses and seedling were collected from 1*1m2 plot and fresh weight was taken. Biomass of tree was calculated and below ground biomass is assumed 15% of above ground tree biomass. For calculating carbon stock, biomass is multiplied by default value 0.47. The above ground tree biomass (AGTB) carbon of chilaune, katus and other species was found 19.56 t/ha, 18.66 t/ha and 3.59 t/ha respectively. The AGTB of chilaune dominated, katus dominated and whole forest was found 43.78 t/ha, 39.83 t/ha and 41.81 t/ ha respectively. LHG carbon was found 2.73 t/ha. Below ground biomass carbon at whole forest was found 6.27 t/ha respectively. Total biomass and carbon at forest was found 108.09 t/ha and 50.80 t/ ha respectively. Difference in biomass and carbon content at chilaune dominated block and katus dominated block was found insignificant. Carbon estimation at forest of different elevation, aspect and location are recommended for further research.

Floristic Composition and Carbon Sequestration of "Indikada Mukalana" Forest Reserve, Waga; A Lowland Wet Evergreen Forest in Sri Lanka

Tropical lowland wet zone forests hold the greatest plant diversity, promise high plant carbon stocks. This study examined plant and soil carbon stocks of Forest reserve, Waga, Sri Lanka. Five representative sampling sites (20x20 m) in the forest were used for floristic survey and soil core sampling. Chemical and physical properties of soil samples were analysed for five years during 2011 and during 2014 to 2017. Vegetation survey documented 17 common tree species belonging to 15 genera and 12 families. Of the recorded species, 10 were endemics and 7 were native species. There were two species belonging to Dipterocarpaceae (Diptrocarpus zeylanica and Hopea juncunda). The mean total % C showed a negative correlation (R2=0.42) ranges in value between 2.84% in 2011 and 2.16% in 2017. The soil C fractions were determined by Loss on Ignition (LOI) method and predominated by the fulvic fractions (68.88%) followed by the humic fractions (18.36%) and the free soil litter fractions (12.76%). The total ecosystem carbon in the Indikada Mukalana lowland wet zone forest was 625t C/ha (i.e. biomass C 573.57 tC/ha and soil C 51.68 tC/ha), which was comparatively higher than our previous studies conducted in a highland wet zone forest (361 tC/ha at Udawattakele forest reserve) and a dry zone forest (176 tC/ha at Sigiriya forest sanctuary). The above ground biomass carbon for the forest was 477.98 t C/ha and the below ground biomass was 95.6t tC /ha. The mean total N % showed a positive correlation (R2=0.84) ranges in value between 0.14% in 2011 and 0.18% in 2017. Soil pH in Waga forest was acidic (<5) over the five-year period due to accumulation of more organic acids due to decomposed litter. In conclusion, we recommend this study to further extend towards other land-use classes to understand carbon sequestration in associated land-use classes for providing carbon benefits through carbon conservation via sustainable land management practices. Keywords: Floristics, Carbon sequestration, Waga forest, Soil organic carbon

Evaluation of Carbon Sequestration Potential in Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) Orchards in Semi-arid Region of India

Carbon sequestration potential in terms of above and below ground biomass carbon and soil organic carbon in orchards of Emblica officinalis in semi-arid Rajasthan has been estimated. Total carbon stock in soil was calculated using allometric equations. Physico-chemical properties of topsoil and subsoil have been studied using standard methods. Chakaiya variety was found to be most suitable for C sequestration with 66.32 kg/plant above ground biomass out of the three varieties of E. officinalis under study namely chakaiya, kanchan and narendra. The age difference of 2 years between two orchards of the same variety (Chakaiya) had no significant difference in their above ground biomass. Total C stock varied from 19.16 to 19.39 Mg ha−1 in 12 years of old plantations. Variation in nitrogen content in subsoil samples has been observed. But, it remained unchanged in topsoil. From the carbon sequestration potential point of view, E. officinalis is an efficient native genotype with 23.48 Mg ha−1 biomass in 14 years duration in the semi-arid region.

Effect of in-situ recycling of sugarcane crop residues and its industrial wastes on different soil carbon pools under soybean (Glycine max) - maize (Zea mays) system

A field experiment was conducted during summer 2011-12 at MPKV Farm, Rahuri to evaluate the effect of in-situ recycling of sugarcane crop residues and its industrial wastes on soil organic C fractions like labile carbon, microbial biomass C, particulate organic C, KMnO4 extractable C, physically protected particulate organic matter carbon (POMC) and significantly improved water stable aggregates in the cultivated soil under maize (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] system. The active carbon pools like soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), water soluble carbohydrates (WHC) and acid hydrolysable carbon (AHC) was significantly improved in the treatment receiving 100% recommended dose of fertilizer along with in-situ compost of crop residues, press mud cake and methanated spent wash compost compared to burning of residues. Application of in-situ sugarcane residues with pressmud incorporation retainedabout19.6%, 38.8% and 33% more amount of total organic carbon (TOC), SMBC, AHC respectively, over burning of sugarcane crop residues and removal of stubbles after harvest of maize. The mean values of WSC (43 mg/kg) and the physically protected carbon, i.e. POMC (2014 mg/kg) were greater by 47% and 6.6% respectively, in the treatment (T7) receiving in-situ residue decomposition of sugarcane crop residues in combination with equal proportion (50%) of press mud cake and biomethanated spent wash over the burning of sugarcane crop residues and removal of stubbles after harvest of maize. After harvest of maize the maximum recalcitrant fraction (humic acid) of carbon was observed in the treatment T7 (in-situ decomposition of sugarcane crop residues + 50% press-mud cake + 50% biomethenated spent wash). This study clearly indicated that resistant fraction of carbon might be accumulated more where decomposed organic matter was applied regularly. It clearly indicated that application of in-situ decomposed residues and by-products of industrial waste in combination with NPK enhanced the below and above ground biomass production, SOC stock and carbon pools.

LiDAR-Assisted Multi-Source Program (LAMP) for Measuring Above Ground Biomass and Forest Carbon

Forest measurement for purposes like harvesting planning, biomass estimation and mitigating climate change through carbon capture by forests call for increasingly frequent forest measurement campaigns that need to balance cost with accuracy and precision. Often this implies the use of remote sensing based measurement methods. For any remote-sensing based methods to be accurate, they must be validated against field data. We present a method that combines field measurements with two layers of remote sensing data: sampling of forests by airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) and Landsat imagery. The Bayesian model-based framework presented here is called Lidar-Assisted Multi-source Programme—or LAMP—for Above Ground Biomass estimation. The method has two variants: LAMP2 which splits the biomass estimation task into two separate stages: forest type stratification from Landsat imagery and mean biomass density estimation of each forest type by LiDAR models calibrated on field plots. LAMP3, on the other hand, estimates first the biomass on a LiDAR sample using models calibrated with field plots and then uses these LiDAR-based models to generate biomass density estimates on thousands of surrogate plots, with which a satellite image based model is calibrated and subsequently used to estimate biomass density on the entire forest area. Both LAMP methods have been applied to a 2 million hectare area in Southern Nepal, the Terai Arc Landscape or TAL to calculate the emission Reference Levels (RLs) that are required for the UN REDD+ program that was accepted as part of the Paris Climate Agreement. The uncertainty of these estimates is studied with error variance estimation, cross-validation and Monte Carlo simulation. The relative accuracy of activity data at pixel level was found to be 14 per cent at 95 per cent confidence level and the root mean squared error of biomass estimates to be between 35 and 39 per cent at 1 ha resolution.

Agro-forestry Systems as a Means to Achieve Carbon Co-benefits in Nepal

Land management regimes and forest types play an important role in the productivity and accumulation of terrestrial carbon pools. While it is commonly accepted that forests enhance carbon sequestration and conventional agriculture causes carbon depletion, the effects of agro-forestry are not well documented. This study investigated the carbon stocks in biomass and soil, along with the selected soil properties in agro-forestry plots compared to community forests (CF) and upland farms in Chitwan, Gorkha and Rasuwa districts of Central Nepal during the year 2012-2013. We determined the total above ground biomass carbon, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and soil properties (bulk density, organic carbon per cent, pH, total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P), exchangeable potassium (K), and cation exchange capacity (CEC)) on samples taken from four replicates of 500 m2 plots each in community forests, agro-forestry systems and agricultural land. The soil was sampled in two increments at 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depths and intact cores removed for bulk density and SOC determination, while loose samples were separately collected for the laboratory analysis of other soil properties. The mean SOC percent and corresponding soil carbon stocks to 30 cm depth were generally highest in CF (3.71 and 3.69 per cent, and 74.98 and 76.24 t ha-1, respectively), followed by leasehold forest (LHF) (2.26 and 1.13 per cent and 40.72 and 21.34 t ha-1, respectively) and least in the agricultural land (3.05 and 1.09 per cent, and 63.54 and 19.42 t ha-1, respectively). This trend was not, however, observed in Chitwan, where agriculture (AG) had the highest SOC content (1.98 per cent) and soil carbon stocks (42.5 t ha-1), followed by CF (1.8 per cent and 41.2 t ha-1) and leasehold forests (1.56 per cent and 35.3 t ha-1) although the differences were not statistically significant. Other soil properties were not significantly different among land use types with the exceptions of pH, total N, available P and CEC in the Chitwan plots. Typically, SOC and soil carbon stocks (to 30cm depth) were positively correlated with each other and with TN and CEC. The AGB-C was expectantly highest in Rasuwa district CF (ranging from 107.3 to 260.3 t ha-1) due to dense growth and cool climate, followed by Gorkha (3.1 to 118.4 t ha-1), and least in Chitwan (17.6 to 95.2 t ha-1). The highest C stocks for agro-forestry systems in both above ground and soil were observed in Rasuwa, followed by Chitwan district. Besides forests, agro-forestry systems also hold good potential to store and accumulate carbon, hence they have scope for contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation with co-benefits.Journal of Forest and Livelihood 13(1) May, 2015, page: 56-68

Geospatial assessment of long-term changes in carbon stocks and fluxes in forests of India (1930–2013)

The present study has estimated spatial distribution of biomass carbon density from satellite remote sensing data, historical archives and collateral data from 1930 to 2013. The spatial forest canopy density datasets for 1930, 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2013 were analysed to obtain biomass carbon pools at 5km grid level. The overall loss of forest cover was 28% from 1930 to 2013. Analysis of change in the forest canopy density indicates that the dense forest cover reduced from 419,175km2 in 1975 to 390,966km2 in 2013. The total above ground biomass carbon stock of Indian forest was calculated as 3070.27TgC in 2013. Standing biomass carbon stocks varied significantly during different steps of time periods. There are a total 67,184 grid cells with loss of carbon stocks during 1930–1975 followed by 55,742 cells during 1975–1985. The annual carbon loss in the above ground biomass showed the highest decrease during the period of 1930 to 1975 and estimated as 2168.50TgC while the net annual loss of carbon is 48.19TgC. The maximum observed net annual loss of carbon stocks was 53.97TgC during 2005 to 2013. Carbon content for various states shows that maximum carbon stocks were stored in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh (11.27%) in 2013. State-wise change analysis indicates the highest loss of carbon stocks in Tripura (80.99%) from 1930 to 2013. Overall reduction in carbon stock in Indian forests has been estimated as 3079.98TgC (50.08%) from 1930 to 2013. The spatial characterization of distribution and changes in carbon stocks can provide useful information for planning and strategic management of resources and fulfilling global initiatives to conserve forest biodiversity.

Carbon Storage and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of the Forests of the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

The study assessed land cover change, carbon stock and sequestration potential of Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP), Ethiopia. Landscape was stratified into four zones based on the vegetation ecology and land uses: Afro-alpine grassland (AAGL), Afro-alpine woodland (AAWL), Afro-montane forest (AMF) and Cultivated and overgrazed land (COL). 40 sample plots were taken randomly (10 from each zone). Nested plot design with size of 50m*50m and subplots of 20m*20m, 10m*10m, 5m*5m, 2m*2m and 1m*1m was used for the measurement of trees of different diameter classes. Soil sampling was done at the four corners of the 10m*10m subplots to a depth of 30cm and taken to laboratory for analysis along with litter and undergrowth. Allometric equation was used for determination of above ground biomass (AGB) carbon. Below ground biomass (BGB) carbon was taken as 24% of AGB carbon. Land cover change was analyzed comparing satellite images of different periods. It was found that the COL has increased from 20% in 1972 to 48% in 2013. As a result, the AMF and AAWL have shrunk by nearly 50%. A future projection with a simple linear model indicated 73ha and 251.3ha of annual deforestation rate in the AAWL and AMF zones respectively, implying that it will take only 71 and 49 years for the AMF and AAWL respectively to be completely lost. Above ground carbon (AGC), below ground carbon (BGC) and soil organic carbon (SOC) holds 34.4%, 8.3% and 55.2% of the total carbon stock respectively. Dead wood and Litter Biomass together contributed only to the 2.2%. From land cover point of view AMF, AAGL, AAWL and COL stored 47.5%, 22%, 20.9% and 9.6% of the total carbon stock in the area respectively. A linear regression of Shannon diversity index against total carbon and AGC was calculated for AMF zone and as such no strong relationship was found for the total C (R2 = 0.242) and also AGC (R2 = 0.337), but it appeared that the stored carbon tends to decrease as the Shannon diversity index increases.

Higher soil respiration under mowing than under grazing explained by biomass differences

Different management practices may change the rate of soil respiration, thus affecting the carbon balance of grasslands. Therefore, we investigated the effect of grazing and mowing on soil respiration along with its driving variables (soil water content, soil temperature, above and below ground biomass, vegetation indices and soil carbon) in adjacent treatments (grazed and mowed) at a semi-arid grassland in Hungary (2011–2013). The average soil respiration over three years was higher in the mown (6.03 ± 4.07 µmol CO2 m−2 s−1) than in the grazed treatment (5.29 ± 3.50 µmol CO2 m−2 s−1). While soil water content and soil temperature did not differ between treatments, mowing resulted in 20 % higher soil respiration than grazing, possibly due to 17 % higher average above ground biomass in the mowed than in the grazed treatment. Inclusions of vegetation index VIGreen in the soil respiration model in addition to abiotic drivers improved the explained Rs variance by 16 % in the mowed and by 5 % in the grazed site, respectively. VIGreen alone proved to be a simple and fast indicator of soil respiration (r2 = 0.31 at grazed, r2 = 0.44 at mowed site). We conclude that soil respiration is responsive to the combined effect soil water content, soil temperature, biomass and soil carbon content as affected by the management (grazing vs. mowing) practice.

Tree species composition, biomass and carbon stocks in two tropical forest of Assam

Tropical forests store higher above ground biomass (AGB) and AGB carbon (AGBC) than any other forest ecosystems. In the present study the tree composition, diversity, dominance and carbon stocks in the AGB and soil of tropical forests viz., the Gibbon wildlife sanctuary (GWS) and the Kholahat reserve forest (KRF) of Assam, India were assessed. Soil sampling, tree survey, girth above 1.3 m height of plants >10 cm girth of plants were assessed in 1000 m2 quadrate. Allometric model for moist forest stands was used to determine AGB and AGBC. A total of 71 and 108 different tree species belong to 32 and 42 families were found in the GWS and KRF, respectively. In the GWF, the Shannon diversity index (1.22) and the Simpson index (0.085) were significant, while for the KRF these indices were insignificant. The basal area, AGB and AGBC in the GWS and KRF were 62.49–90.29 m2 ha−1, 135.30–146.42 Mg ha−1, and 67.64–73.21 Mg ha−1, respectively. The average soil carbon stock (SOC) in the upper, middle and lower layers was 57.74–78.44 kg m−2, 39.22–64.93 kg m−2 and 30.32–42.86 kg m−2, respectively, in the GWS and KRF. However, compared to GWS, a higher AGB and AGBC were found in KRF. This finding reveals that the higher AGB, AGBC and SOC in the KRF were due to old growth matured forest with big and diverse tree species.

Carbon Stock Analysis along Slope and Slope Aspect Gradient in Gedo Forest: Implications for Climate Change Mitigation

Tropical forests have the largest potential to mitigate climate change amongst the world’s forests through conservation of existing carbon pools and expansion of carbon sinks . Ethiopia is one of tropical country which has significant forest resource but the studies on carbon stock variation along environmental variables have not been well studied. This study was done with the aim of assessing carbon stock amount variation along slope and slope aspect gradient in Gedo forest. Data was collected from 10 m × 20 m plot along transect in systematically stratified forest part. The largest total mean carbon stock (570.67 ± 40 ton ha-1) was found in lower slope class and the lowest total mean carbon stock (421.2 ± 56.2 ton ha-1) was found in higher slope class. The deadwood biomass was only found in lower slope class. The highest mean total carbon stock was calculated in east slope aspect (778.13 ± 75.93 ton ha-1) and the lowest mean total carbon stock was calculated in south west slope aspect (358.58 ± 73.45 ton ha-1). Slope has significant effect on leaf litter biomass carbon. Slope aspect has significant effect on aboveground biomass and below ground biomass carbon, soil organic carbon and total carbon density. Based on overall result it is concluded carbon stock in a forest ecosystem is determined by slope aspect and slope gradient.

Carbon Stock Variations Along Altitudinal and Slope Gradient in the Forest Belt of Simen Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Forests play a significant role in climate change mitigation by sequestering and storing more carbon from the atmosphere which is released by anthropogenic causes. The overall objective of this study was to measure Variations of Carbon Stock along Altitudinal and Slope Gradient in the forest belt of Simen Mountains National Park. And it aimed to add values of the lowland forest belt of the park for climate change mitigation contribution in Ethiopia. The work was accomplished properly using random sampling to estimate the forest carbon in above and below ground biomass by considered each trees and shrubs which had DBH ≥5 cm. Above ground biomass was estimated by using allometric models equation while below ground biomass was determined based on the ratio of below ground biomass to above ground biomass factors. Dead wood, leaf litter, herb and grass (LHG) and soil organic carbon were conducted according to sampling quadrates data and laboratory result. The results shown that, there were twenty species with a density of 2334 trees and shrubs in the study sites which had DBH ≥5 cm. The mean above ground and below ground biomass carbon stock were 270.89±154.50 and 54.18±30.81 t ha-1 respectively. The mean above ground biomass carbon per species was 20.42±17.99 t ha-1. The mean carbon in dead wood, LHG and soil carbon were 0.7258±1.0479, 0.019±0.008 and 242.51±46.42 t ha-1 respectively. The total Carbone stock variation along altitudinal gradient was 542.6, 550.73 and 627.01 t ha-1 for upper, mid and lower altitude respectively by which higher amount of carbon was stored in lower altitude. The total carbon stock variation along slope gradient was 487.3, 557.00 and 625.877 t ha-1 for upper, mid and lower slope respectively by which higher amount of carbon was stored in lower altitude. So that in this study both altitude and slope had the same impact on carbon stock potential of the species in the areas of study.

Impact of Salinity on above Ground Biomass and Stored Carbon in a Common MangroveExcoecaria agallochaof Indian Sundarbans

Impact of Salinity on above Ground Biomass and Stored Carbon in a Common Mangrove<i>Excoecaria agallocha</i>of Indian Sundarbans

Forest Carbon Stocks in Lowland Area of Simien Mountains National Park: Implication for Climate Change Mitigation

Forests play a significant role in climate change mitigation by sequestering and storing more carbon from the atmosphere which was released by anthropogenic causes. The overall objective of this study was to estimate carbon stock potential of lowland forest of Simien Mountains National park for climate change mitigation. And it aimed to add values of the lowland forest of the park for climate change mitigation contribution in Ethiopia. The work was accomplished properly using random sampling to estimate the forest carbon in above and below ground biomass by considered each trees and shrubs which had DBH ≥5 cm. Above ground biomass was estimated by using allometric models equation of Brown (1998) while below ground biomass was determined based on the ratio of below ground biomass to above ground biomass factors of (MacDicken, 1997). Dead wood, leaf litter, herb and grass (LHG) and soil organic carbon were conducted according to sampling quadrates data and laboratory result. The results shown that, there were twenty species with a density of 2334 trees and shrubs in the study sites which had DBH ≥5 cm. The mean above ground and below ground biomass carbon stock were 270.89±154.50 and 54.18±30.81 t ha-1 respectively. The mean above ground biomass carbon per species was 20.42±17.99 ton. The mean carbon in dead wood, LHG and soil carbon were 0.7258±1.0479, 0.019±0.008and 242.51±46.42 t ha-1 respectively. Keywords : Carbon stock Climate change Mitigation Simien Mountains National Park Poisoned food technique

Forest Carbon Stocks and Variations along Altitudinal Gradients in Egdu Forest: Implications of Managing Forests for Climate Change Mitigation

The role of forests in mitigating the effect of climate change depends on the carbon sequestration potential and management. Although a number of studies have been done on carbon stock estimations, the influence of environmental factors on forest carbon stocks has not been properly addressed. This study was conducted to estimate the carbon stock and itsvariation along the altitudinal gradients in Egdu dry afromontane forest. The carbon stock in the different carbon pools and analysis of the influence of the environmental variables were studied by collecting data in quadrat plots of 10 X 20 m distributed along transect lines. The mean totalcarbon stock density of Egdu forest was found to be 614.72±35.79 t ha-1 (ranging from 182.6 to 1416 t ha-1), of which 278.08±25.72 (19 to 782.28 t ha-1) was contained in the above ground biomass, 55.62 t ha-1 (8.06 to 332.89 t ha-1) in below ground biomass, 3.47±0.2 (0.33 to 7.53 t ha-1) in litter carbon and 277.56±11.56 t ha-1 (148.74 to 551.30 t ha-1) was stored in soil organic carbon (0-30 cm depth). The carbon stocks in above ground biomass, below ground biomass, litter biomass and soil organic carbon exhibited distinct patterns along altitudinal gradients. The above ground, below ground and soil organic carbon stock showed an increasing trend with increasing altitude while the litter carbon stock showed irregular patterns along altitude though statistically there was no strong relationship between each of these carbon pools and altitudinal gradients. This study concluded that the carbon stock value of Egdu forest is large, and thecarbon storage in different carbon pools of the forest area varies with altitudinal gradient.

Mining in a changing climate: what scope for forestry-based legacies?

This paper provides an interdisciplinary perspective on mine reclamation in forested areas of Ghana, a country characterised by conflicts between mining and forest conservation. A comparison was made between above ground biomass (AGB) and soil organic carbon (SOC) content from two reclaimed mine sites and adjacent undisturbed forest. Findings suggest that on decadal timescales, reclaimed mine sites contain approximately 40% of the total carbon and 10% the AGB carbon of undisturbed forest. This raises questions regarding the potential for decommissioning mine sites to provide forestry-based legacies. Such a move could deliver a host of benefits, including improving the longevity and success of reclamation, mitigating climate change and delivering corollary enumeration for local communities under carbon trading schemes. A discussion of the antecedents and challenges associated with establishing forest-legacies highlights the risk of neglecting the participation and heterogeneity of legitimate local representatives, which threatens the equity of potential benefits and sustainability of projects. Despite these risks, implementing pilot projects could help to address the lack of transparency and data which currently characterises mine reclamation.

Homegardens as a Multi-functional Land-Use Strategy in Sri Lanka with Focus on Carbon Sequestration

This paper explores the concept of homegardens and their potential functions as strategic elements in land-use planning, and adaptation and mitigation to climate change in Sri Lanka. The ancient and locally adapted agroforestry system of homegardens is presently estimated to occupy nearly 15 % of the land area in Sri Lanka and is described in the scientific literature to offer several ecosystem services to its users; such as climate regulation, protection against natural hazards, enhanced land productivity and biological diversity, increased crop diversity and food security for rural poor and hence reduced vulnerability to climate change. Our results, based on a limited sample size, indicate that the homegardens also store significant amount of carbon, with above ground biomass carbon stocks in dry zone homegardens (n = 8) ranging from 10 to 55 megagrams of carbon per hectare (Mg C ha(-1)) with a mean value of 35 Mg C ha(-1), whereas carbon stocks in wet zone homegardens (n = 4) range from 48 to 145 Mg C ha(-1) with a mean value of 87 Mg C ha(-1). This implies that homegardens may contain a significant fraction of the total above ground biomass carbon stock in the terrestrial system in Sri Lanka, and from our estimates its share has increased from almost one-sixth in 1992 to nearly one-fifth in 2010. In the light of current discussions on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), the concept of homegardens in Sri Lanka provides interesting aspects to the debate and future research in terms of forest definitions, setting reference levels, and general sustainability.

Rapid accumulation of carbon on severely eroded red soils through afforestation in subtropical China

Recovery of carbon stocks after afforestation in degraded lands provides a management practice to mitigate rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, however carbon accumulation after afforestation of severely eroded lands is poorly understood. Large areas of the red soils in subtropical China suffer from severe erosion and have very low carbon density. We investigated above- and below-ground carbon pools in bare land on a severely eroded red soil (BL), a Pinus massoniana plantation that had been established on bare land in 1981(PM) and a nearby secondary forest (SF) in southeastern China. The ecosystem carbon pool in PM (130.1±7.2MgCha−1) was 10 times higher than in BL (13.0±1.3MgCha−1), and 22% lower than that in SF (166.7±7.0MgCha−1) (p<0.05). The above ground biomass carbon pool was 91.9±4.8MgCha−1 in PM, similar to 98.2±5.5MgCha−1 in SF. The soil organic carbon (SOC) pool (to 1m depth) in PM (38.2±3.4MgCha−1) was 2.9 times higher than that in BL (13.0±1.3Mg C ha–1), but was significantly lower than that in SF (68.5±2.5Mg C ha–1). About 70% of the organic C to 1m depth was stored in the top 40cm in the two forests. The storage of light fraction organic carbon (LFOC) at the 0–60cm depth in PM was significantly higher than that in BL, but not significantly different from that in SF. PM had significantly higher proportions of LFOC to SOC for all soil depths in comparison with BL and SF (p<0.05). The mean accumulation rates of ecosystem carbon pools, aboveground biomass carbon pools, and SOC pools in PM were 4.88±0.25, 3.83±0.16, and 1.05±0.09MgCha−1yr−1, respectively. Our results indicate that afforestation of severely eroded red soils with P. massoniana may be a successful forest management practice to achieve rapid carbon accumulation.