Advance methodological approaches for carbon stock estimation in forest ecosystems

Area of Science:

• Forestry
• Ecology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Forests provide critical ecosystem services, including biodiversity conservation, soil erosion reduction, and watershed protection.
• Forests act as natural air purifiers and play a significant role in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• The Conference of Parties (COP) 26 highlighted the need for policies to reduce atmospheric carbon (C) through forest ecosystems to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive protocol for four carbon (C) stock estimation approaches in forest ecosystems.
• To compare the effectiveness and limitations of different C stock estimation methods.
• To analyze factors influencing C stock variability in diverse forest types.

Main Methods:

• Review and comparison of four primary carbon (C) stock estimation approaches.
• Analysis of 42 research studies on forest C stock assessment.
• Identification of factors affecting C stock, including temporal and spatial variations, age, land use, and management practices.

Main Results:

• Tree allometry is a common method for C stock quantification but has limitations.
• Combining two or more estimation methods can yield more accurate results.
• Significant uncertainty exists in current C stock measurements due to methodological limitations.

Conclusions:

• Integrating multiple C stock estimation methods is crucial for reducing measurement uncertainty.
• Accurate assessment of forest carbon stocks is essential for effective climate change mitigation strategies.
• Understanding factors influencing C stock is key to optimizing forest management for carbon sequestration.