An Assessment of Soil Fertility Status and Carbon Stock Estimation of Hasantar Community Forest and its Adjoining Areas.

Abstract

Peri-urban agiculture is the socio-economically and ecologically justified function for the food security, development and self sustainability of the urban society. Soil organic matter plays a vital role in the maintenance of soil fertility. It is concerned with the inherent capacity of the soil to provide nutrients for the growth of specified plants. pH, soil organic carbon and other macronutrients especially NPK has a major implications in soil health and exhibit considerable variability spatially both horizontally and vertically in the soil profiles based on land use, management microclimates and others.

Community forestry has been a successful policy initiative in controlling land degradation. It is the best strategy of the government that involves local people in forest management. The present study was confined to the Hasantar Community Forest and its adjoining areas. The general objective of the study was to assess the fertility status in terms of organic matter or soil organic carbon (SOC), pH and NPK, next is the estimation of SOC pool and carbon in tree biomass (dry matter). The household survey was carried out in the month of November-December in order to supplement the study with ground reality.

The study showed that almost all sites were moderately acidic. The upland agriculture soil though had medium nitrogen fertility, was low to just medium in exchangeable potassium and low in available phosphorus. Similarly, forest soil was medium to high in N-fertility, almost low or low to medium in potassium fertility and insufficiently low in phosphorus nutrient. In most of the sites, the pH, SOC and NPK were found decreasing with depth but certain perturbations caused to bring variations in it. The total carbon stock of HCF (including SOC-pool and tree biomass carbon) was substantial even in a small forest area of 64 ha which was estimated to be 7562.85 t C. The study also showed that the carbon stored in the forest soil was 4-times more than that in tree biomass (dry matter). It also suggests that more carbon could be sequestered and stored in cultivated soil, forest soil and above ground tree biomass with efficient management.