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 .

THANK YOU