Biomass Production and Carbon
Storage Potential of Some Important
Temperate Forest Types of Garhwal
Himalaya
C. M. Sharma
Department of Botany
HNB Garhwal University
Srinagar Garhwal
Uttarakhand (India)
Importance of Work
Differential biomass production and carbon
storage in broad-leaved and conifer forest
types.
Potential of old-growth forests.
Altitude v/s production.
Comparison with other forests.
Objectives
Quantification of:
1. Growing Stock (GSVD)
2. Total Live-tree Biomass Productivity (TBD)
3. Carbon storage potential (TCD)
At different altitudes of old-growth forests
Girth=5.30meter
Cupressus torulosa
Girth=14.10meter
Cedrus deodara
Girth=2.53meter Quercus semecarpifolia
Old Growth
Means
Methods 05 sample plots (0.1 ha)×15 forest types =75
plots.
Slope Correction (For slopes>10%) L=Ls*cos S
Area= Bs*L
Where L is the true horizontal plot distance,
Ls is standard distance measured in the field along the
slope
S is the value of slope in degrees(using Clinometer)
Bs is breadth of sample plot
Abies pindrow
Cupressus torulosa
Cedrus deodara
Pinus roxburghii
Coniferous
Forests
Quercus glauca Quercus semecarpifolia
Alnus nepalensis Quercus floribunda
Broad-Leaved
Forests
1. Calculation of Growing Stock Density (GSVD) :
Using volume tables or volume equations.
The species for which volume tables/equations
were not available as per convention the volume
of those species was calculated using volume
tables/equations of similar species having similar
height, form, taper and growth rate.(FSI,1996).
2. Total biomass Density (TBD) *Only live-tree biomass was calculated
TBD(Mgha−1)=AGBD(Mgha−1)+BGBD(Mgha−1)
2a. Above Ground Biomass Density (AGBD) (As per Brown and Schroeder, 1999)
AGBD (Mgha−1) = GSVD (m3 ha−1) x BEF (Mg m-3 )
Where, GSVD = Growing Stock Volume Density (m3 ha-1)
BEF=Biomass Expansion Factor(Mg m-3)
BEF(Mg m-3)=Total AGBD of all living trees(dbh≥2.5 cm)
Growing stock volume
The BEFs were calculated using the following equations:
For Hardwoods:
BEF = exp {1.912 – (0.344 x ln GSVD)}
If GSVD was > 200 m3 ha-1, BEF =1.0 Mg m-3 was used.
(Brown and Schroeder, 1999)
For Spruce-Fir:
BEF = exp {1.771 - (0.339 x ln GSVD)}
If GSVD > 160 m3 ha-1, BEF =1.0 Mg m-3 was used.
(Brown and Schroeder , 1999)
For Pines:
GSVD < 10 m3 ha-1 , BEF = 1.68 Mg m−3
GSVD 10 – 100 m3 ha-1, BEF = 0.95 Mg m−3
GSVD > 100 m3 ha-1, BEF = 0.81 Mg m-3.
(Brown and Schroeder, 1999)
The equation of Spruce-Fir was also applied for other conifer
dominated forest cover types.
b. Below Ground Biomass Density (BGBD)
(in Mg ha−1) (Cairns et al., 1997)
BGBD= exp {−1.059 + 0.884×ln (AGBD) + 0.284}
• Alternate Method:
Root Biomass(BGBD)=Root fraction X AGBD
Where Root fraction=0.26(Cairns et al., 1997) * However in this study the first method was used
3. Total Carbon Density(TCD):
TCD(MgCha−1)=Biomass (Mg ha−1)×Carbon fraction
TCD= AGBC+BGBC
AGBC= AGBD X Carbon fraction
BGBC=BGBD X Carbon fraction
where Carbon fraction = 0.50 (IPCC,2006)
Outcome Of The Study
• The Growing Stock oscillated between
546.70 ± 20.51 m3 ha−1
(Cedrus deodara forest)
134.60±10.71 m3 ha−1
(Moist Mixed Temperate
Deciduous forest)
• The Total Biomass production ranged between
667.62 ±24.51 Mg ha-1
(Cedrus deodara forest)
214.52±10.93Mg ha-1
(Moist Mixed Temperate
Deciduous forest)
Live-tree Biomass
TBD values for Coniferous forests 1. Cedrus deodara forest (667.62±24.51 Mg ha-1)
2. Abies pindrow forest (626.31±25.04 Mg ha-1)
3. Cupressus torulosa forest (494.30±22.38 Mg ha-1)
4. Pinus roxburghii forest (447.72±12.03 Mg ha-1)
5. Picea smithiana forest (380.15±13.03 Mg ha-1)
6. Conifer Mixed forest (361.01±19.61 Mg ha-1)
TBD values for Broad-leaved forests 1. Aesculus indica forest (527.63±17.52 Mg ha-1)
2. Quercus glauca forest (512.99±32.40 Mg ha-1)
3. Q. floribunda forest (511.16±24.12 Mg ha-1)
4. Q. semecarpifolia forest(507.82±3.98 Mg ha-1)
5. Acer acuminatum forest (504.00±2.47 Mg ha-1)
6. Mixed Broad-leaved forest (330.82±11.53 Mg ha-1)
7. Q. leucotrichophora forest (272.50±14.59 Mg ha-1)
8. Alnus nepalensis forest(268.84±11.28 Mg ha-1)
9. Moist Mix. Temperate Deciduous forest (214.52±10.93 Mg ha-1)
• Carbon storage potential ranged between
307.11± 11.28 Mg C ha-1
(Cedrus deodara forest)
96.53 ± 4.92 Mg C ha-1
(Moist Mixed Temperate
Deciduous forest)
Carbon Stocks
Carbon Storage Potential
The overall highest AGBC and BGBC values were recorded for Cedrus deodara forest :
AGBC 251.48±9.43 Mg C ha-1
BGBC 55.623±1.84 Mg C ha-1
followed by: Abies pindrow forest (288.10±11.52 Mg C ha-1)
Aesculus indica forest (237.43±7.88 Mg C ha-1)
Quercus glauca forest (230.84±14.58 Mg C ha-1)
Q .floribunda forest (230.02±10.85 Mg C ha-1)
Q. semecarpifolia forest (228.52±14.39 Mg C ha-1)
Cupressus torulosa forest (227.38±10.29 Mg C ha-1)
= 307.103 Mg C ha-1
Graph depicts Increase in GS (m3 ha-1), TBD(Mg ha-1 ) and
TCD(Mg C ha-1) up to 2750m asl
0,00
200,00
400,00
600,00
800,00
1000,00
1200,00
1400,00
1600,00
Elevation (m asl)
TCD
TBD
GS
• High degree of linearly significant and positive
correlation of altitude was recorded with:
Growing Stock (R2=0.4817; r=0.694)
Biomass Production(R2=0.5508; r=0.742)
Carbon Storage Potential (R2=0.5524; r=0.743)
a. Mean altitude and GS
c. Mean altitude and TCD
b. Mean altitude and TBD
S.No FOREST AUTHOR AGBD
(Mg ha-1)
TCD
(Mg C ha-1)
1 Temperate Forests Edwards et al
(1989)
79.00 169.00
2 Temperate forests Dixon et al (1994) - 57.00
3 Hardwood forests of USA Brown et al (1999) 36.00 - 344.00 -
4 Cedrus deodara forest of
India
Haripriya (2000) 141.20 -
5 Temperate forests of the
World
Malhi (1998);
Press et al(2000)
- 125.00
6 Non-degraded Pine-Oak
forests of kumaun
Central Himalaya
Jina et al (2008) - 173.70-262.60
7 Temperate Forests North
East China
Biao Zhu et al
(2010)
- 52.00 – 245.00
8 Present Study Present study 171.19 - 546.70 96.53 - 307.11
Comparison between estimates of Biomass and Carbon stocks per unit
area in different temperate forests:
Outcomes of the Study
Highest live-tree biomass existed between 2250 and
2750 m asl.
The AGBD values were always 81% of the total Carbon Density. However, for other Indian forests this value is always 76 % (Haripriya,2003).
Conifer forests store more carbon than broad-leaved forests.
Cedrus deodara forests were most productive in terms of biomass production and carbon storage.
High Biomass and Carbon storage capacity due to
selection of Less Disturbed Old Growth forests.
Unlike earlier studies by Odum 1969; Mellilo et al.
1995 and Jarvis 1989 old-growth forests continue to
accumulate C.
Conservation of old-growth forests is important
because the regenerating forests will take more time
to sequester and store the amount of carbon
equivalent to that stored in mature old-growth
forests .
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