Carbon Stock Estimation in Lower Temperate Forest in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal
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Department of Botany
Abstract
Mitigating the climate change due to increase in CO
emissions is gaining increased
importance. Forests play an important role in the global carbon cycle as forest vegetation
and soil can sequester the atmospheric carbon in the form of biomass and soil organic
carbons. Thus buffering the rate of climate change by reducing the atmospheric CO
2
which is one of the GHGs. Maintaining existing stocks of carbon in forests is also
important as a cheap way to mitigate climate change. Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
(SNNP) having a luxuriant temperate forest is serving well in carbon sequestration.
Temperate region of Shivapuri forest of SNNP was sampled. Quadrats of size 20m×20m
were laid randomly at different altitude zones. Four altitude zones (2100m, 2300m,
2500m and 2700m) were considered and sampling was done within 2050-2150m,
2250-2350m, 2450-2550m and 2650-2732m, respectively. In each altitude zone four
South-East and four South-West facing quadrats were plotted. Using allometric equations
and root shoot ratio the vegetation biomass of tree and shrub of each quadrat was
estimated. The biomass was converted to carbon stock. Bulk density, pH, organic carbon
content and nitrogen content of soil at different horizontal depths of 0-25cm and 25-50cm
were analyzed. The soil carbon stock upto the depth of 50cm was estimated. Then
biomass carbon and soil carbon were summed up to get total carbon stock.
Mean biomass, biomass carbon stock, soil carbon stock of the temperate forest of
Shivapuri were found 797.57, 398.78 and 200.80 t/ha, respectively. Thus mean total
carbon stock was 599.58 t/ha. Mean total carbon stock at four different altitude zones
were significantly different, whereas at the SE and SW aspects were similar. The altitude
zone 2500m was found with highest biomass carbon stock, soil carbon stock and total
carbon stock with mean values 682.19, 238.09 and 920.28 t/ha, respectively. The organic
carbon content and nitrogen content in the upper horizon (0-25cm) were found higher
than that of lower horizon (25-50cm). Whereas the pH and bulk density in the upper
horizon (0-25cm) were found lower than that of lower horizon (25-50cm).
Temperate forest of Shivapuri was found with more carbon stock in comparision to other
forest types of Central Himalaya.