Dynamics of Biomass and Carbon Stocks during Reforestation on Abandoned Agricultural Lands in Southern Ural Region

Nikolay Fedorov (), Pavel Shirokikh (), Svetlana Zhigunova, Elvira Baisheva, Ilshat Tuktamyshev, Ilnur Bikbaev, Mikhail Komissarov, Gleb Zaitsev, Raphak Giniyatullin, Ilyusya Gabbasova, Ruslan Urazgildin, Aleksey Kulagin, Ruslan Suleymanov, Dilara Gabbasova, Albert Muldashev and Shamil Maksyutov
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Nikolay Fedorov: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Pavel Shirokikh: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Svetlana Zhigunova: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Elvira Baisheva: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Ilshat Tuktamyshev: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Ilnur Bikbaev: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Mikhail Komissarov: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Gleb Zaitsev: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Raphak Giniyatullin: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Ilyusya Gabbasova: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Ruslan Urazgildin: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Aleksey Kulagin: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Ruslan Suleymanov: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Dilara Gabbasova: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Albert Muldashev: Ufa Institute of Biology, UFRC RAS, Ufa 450054, Russia
Shamil Maksyutov: Laboratory of Climate Change Monitoring and Carbon Ecosystems Balance, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, Ufa 450064, Russia

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: Due to the global increase in CO 2 in the atmosphere, studies focusing on the carbon balance in forest ecosystems are currently particularly relevant. Abandoned agricultural lands could provide an important contribution to carbon sequestration in many parts of the world. In the broad-leaved forest zone of the Cis-Ural (Southern Ural region, Russia), the carbon sequestration dynamics in the biomass of woody and herbaceous plants, as well as in the litter and soil on abandoned arable lands repopulated with silver birch ( Betula pendula ), was studied. The data were collected on 35 round (with diameter of 30 m) sample plots located within communities representing the different stages of reforestation with tree stands aged 3 to 30 years. It was found that the carbon content of the stem wood and herbaceous understory did not depend on the succession stages, which largely corresponds to the literature data. The carbon content in root biomass and soil organic matter increased along with the growth of tree stands. While the forest stand grew, the carbon content in the grey forest soil increased from 2.5 to 4.4%, and in the more fertile dark grey forest soil it changed only slightly. The carbon deposition by the forest stands on the sample plots located on the dark grey forest soils was higher than on grey forest soils. The average rate of carbon sequestration in the tree stand was 2.7 t/ha/year. Most mature, 25–30-years-old silver birch tree stands provided the highest average annual increase in tree biomass and the rate of carbon sequestration evaluated was 9 t/ha/year. Also, the carbon pool in the 30 cm soil layer was 2.7 times greater than in the tree stand. It was concluded that abandoned agricultural lands overgrowing by forest in the Cis-Ural are promising for carbon sequestration.

Keywords: Betula pendula; silver birch; carbon sequestration; soil carbon; belowground carbon; natural regeneration; abandoned agricultural lands (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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