Carbon Storage of Single Tree and Mixed Tree Dominant Species Stands in a Reserve Forest—Case Study of the Eastern Sub-Himalayan Region of India

Prakash Rai, Vineeta, Gopal Shukla, Abha Manohar K, Jahangeer A Bhat, Amit Kumar, Munesh Kumar, Marina Cabral-Pinto and Sumit Chakravarty
Additional contact information
Prakash Rai: Department of Forestry, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari 736165, India
Vineeta: Department of Forestry, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari 736165, India
Gopal Shukla: Department of Forestry, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari 736165, India
Abha Manohar K: Department of Agronomy and Agroforestry, MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Parlakhemundi, Gajapati 761211, India
Jahangeer A Bhat: Department of Forest Products and Utilization, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, India
Amit Kumar: School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Munesh Kumar: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar-Garhwal 249161, India
Marina Cabral-Pinto: Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Sumit Chakravarty: Department of Forestry, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari 736165, India

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: In recent decades, carbon (C) management is an important point on the agenda to identify the best viable mitigation strategies for its reduction. The study was conducted at Jaldapara National Park located in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. The study quantified litter production, decomposition, periodic nutrient release, soil fertility status, and soil organic carbon (SOC) of five major forest stands i.e., Tectona grandis (TGDS), Shorea robusta (SRDS), Michelia champaca (MCDS), Lagerstroemia parviflora (LPDS) and miscellaneous stand (MS). A stratified random nested quadrate method was adopted for sample collection. Results reveal that the greatest amount of litter production and decomposition was under MCDS followed by MS, LPDS, SRDS, and the smallest under TGDS. The material annual turnover through litter decomposition in all the stands varies between 96.46% and 99.34%. The content and amount of the available nutrients in litter varied significantly among the stands. Moreover, release of these nutrients was nearly equal to the amount available in the initial litter mass. In general, the magnitude of the total nutrient return was in the same order as the total litter fall and the nutrient availability was more closely related to litter nutrient content and soil organic carbon. The range of pH (4.86–5.16), EC (0.34–0.50), soil moisture (27.01–31.03) and available primary nutrients (N: (0.21–0.26 Mg/ha), P: (0.09–0.12 Mg/ha), K: (0.13–0.14 Mg/ha)) also varied significantly among the stands. Significant positive correlations were observed between SOC, N and K. Both the fertility indices exhibited no definite pattern in the stands but a significant correlation between the two indicates the healthy soil fertility status of the stands. SOC varies significantly under different forest stands, but the greatest content was found under MS. The estimated SOC ranges between 75.9 and 107.7 Mg ha −1 up to 60 cm and is reported to be below the Indian average of 182.94 Mg ha −1 . The present study strongly recommends that Tectona grandis , Shorea robusta , Michelia champaca , and Lagerstroemia parviflora should be the important commercial timbers of the Eastern Himalayan region because they may help further to increase the C sink in agricultural and degraded landscapes.

Keywords: litter; soil nutrient; SOC; soil fertility index; mitigation strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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