Biomass and Carbon Stock in Subtropical Broad-Leaved Forest Ecosystem of Meghalaya, Northeast India

Gunjana Chaudhury, Krishna Upadhaya

Abstract


The subtropical broadleaved forests of Meghalaya, northeast India, occur in fragmented patches most of which are treated as sacred forests. Three subtropical broad-leaved forests located near Cherrapunjee were selected to estimate the biomass and allocation of carbon stock in different ecosystem components and the total ecosystem. The aboveground biomass (AGB) of trees ranged from 187 to 293 Mg ha-1 whereas AGB of lianas comprised < 2% of the total forest AGB. The AGB accounted for 81%, whereas belowground biomass (BGB) contributed 18% of the total biomass for trees and lianas. The total biomass carbon stock for trees and lianas ranged between 109 and 172 Mg C ha-1. The carbon stocks from understory biomass ranged between 0.055 to 0.098 Mg C ha-1, whereas from detritus biomass had 6.66 to 10.44 Mg C ha-1. The carbon in soil to a depth of 0-20 cm was 26-46 Mg C ha-1. The total ecosystem carbon in the three sites ranged from 157 to 205 Mg C ha-1. Such information on different carbon pools would be useful in understanding the potential of carbon storage in subtropical broad-leaved forests and their role in the regional and global carbon balance in response to future climate change.

Keywords


Aboveground Biomass; Carbon Storage; Cherrapunjee; Sacred Forests; Tree Allometric Equations

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