• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.64-72
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• 2014

This study quantified the storage and annual uptake of carbon by apple trees in orchards as a production-type greenspace, and computed the annual carbon emissions from apple cultivation. Tree individuals in the study orchards were sampled to include the range of stem diameter sizes. The study measured biomass for each part including the roots of sample trees through a direct harvesting method to compute total carbon storage per tree. Annual carbon uptake per tree was quantified by analyzing the radial growth rates of stem samples at ground level. Annual carbon emissions from management practices such as pruning, mowing, irrigation, fertilization, and use of pesticides and fungicides were estimated based on maintenance data, interviews with managers, and actual measurements. Regression models were developed using stem diameter at ground level (D) as an independent variable to easily estimate storage and annual uptake of the carbon. Storage and annual uptake of carbon per tree increased as D sizes got larger. Apple trees with D sizes of 10 and 15 cm stored 9.1 and 21.0 kg of carbon and annually sequestered 1.0 and 1.6 kg, respectively. Storage and annual uptake of carbon per unit area in study orchards were 3.81 t/ha and 0.42 t/ha/yr, respectively, and annual carbon emissions were 1.30 t/ha/yr. Thus, the carbon emissions were about 3 times greater than the annual carbon uptake. The study identified management practices to reduce the carbon footprint of production-type greenspace, including efficient uses of water, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers. It breaks new ground by including measured biomass of roots and a detailed inventory of carbon emissions.