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http://dx.doi.org/10.7747/JFES.2021.37.2.128

Estimation of Biomass and Carbon Stocks of Trees in Javadhu Hills, Eastern Ghats, India  

Tamilselvan, Balaraman (PG & Research Department of Botany, Pachaiyappa's College)
Sekar, Thangavel (PG & Research Department of Botany, Pachaiyappa's College)
Anbarashan, Munisamy (Department of Ecology, French Institute of Pondicherry)
Publication Information
Journal of Forest and Environmental Science / v.37, no.2, 2021 , pp. 128-140 More about this Journal
Abstract
Tropical dry forests are one of the most threatened, widely distributed ecosystems in tropics and estimation of forest biomass is a crucial component of global carbon emission estimation. Therefore, the present study was aimed to quantify the biomass and carbon storage in trees on large scale (10, 1 ha plots) in the dry mixed evergreen forest of Javadhu forest of Eastern Ghats. Biomass of adult (≥10 cm DBH) trees was estimated by non-harvest methods. The total biomass of trees in this tropical dry mixed evergreen forest was ranged from 160.02 to 250.8 Mg/ha, with a mean of 202.04±24.64 Mg/ha. Among the 62 tree species enumerated, Memecylon umbellatum accumulated greater biomass and carbon stocks (24.29%) more than the other species in the 10 ha study plots. ANOVA revealed that there existed a significant variation in the total biomass and carbon stock among the three plant types (Evergreen, brevi-deciduous and deciduous (F (2, 17)=15.343, p<0.001). Basal area and density was significant positively correlated with aboveground biomass (R2 0.980; 0.680) while species richness exhibited negative correlation with above ground biomass (R2 0.167). Finding of present study may be interpreted as most of the trees in this forest are yet to be matured and there is a net addition to standing biomass leading to carbon storage.
Keywords
biomass estimation; climate change; tropical dry forest; Eastern Ghats; carbon mitigation;
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