Carbon stocks and sequestration potential in urban reserve forests: Insights for climate change mitigation
Monitoring forest carbon stock and sequestration potential is vital for evaluating the role of forestry in Carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal. Urban reserve forests (URFs) established in Indian cities as part of urban greening strategy, contribute significantly to CO₂ offset. However, their information on...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Next Sustainability |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949823625000649 |
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| Summary: | Monitoring forest carbon stock and sequestration potential is vital for evaluating the role of forestry in Carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal. Urban reserve forests (URFs) established in Indian cities as part of urban greening strategy, contribute significantly to CO₂ offset. However, their information on CO₂ removal for climate change mitigation is limited. To bridge this knowledge gap, an inventory survey employing both destructive and non-destructive techniques were used to estimate this. The estimated total carbon stock was 218.75 Mg ha⁻¹ for Bhomoraguri URF and 236.15 Mg ha⁻¹ for Balipara URF, which is equivalent to 799.1 Mg CO₂ ha⁻¹ and 866.65 Mg CO₂ ha⁻¹ of CO₂ being sequenced for, respectively. The noted carbon stock varied across carbon pools, with the highest contributions from SOC (113.6 Mg ha⁻¹ in Bhomoraguri and 124.85 Mg ha⁻¹ in Balipara), followed by overstory layer (97.33 and 103. 25 Mg ha⁻¹) and the lowest from herbs layers (2.68 and 3.05 Mg ha⁻¹ in Bhomoraguri and Balipara, respectively). The top contributors to carbon stock in the overstory are Tectona grandis, Dalbergia sissoo, and Ficus hirta. In the understory layer, species such as Bidens reptans, Cynodon dactylon, and Piper betle, showed notable contributions to carbon sequestration. The substantial carbon stock and sequestration potential suggests that URFs have the potential to serve as carbon sinks, helping to offset increased atmospheric CO₂ levels. The results offer valuable insights for climate mitigation and underscore the potential of nature-based solutions in addressing global climate challenges under various future climate scenarios. |
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| ISSN: | 2949-8236 |