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Variation in Carbon Storage Among Tree Species in The Planted Forest of Kathmandu, Central Nepal


Affiliations
1 Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
2 Department of Botany, Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
3 Department of Botany, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
 

Carbon stock variation among trees of planted forest, was estimated in a 41-year old Coronation garden of Kathmandu, Central Nepal. Forty-one square quadrates of 20 m × 20 m were selected by applying stratified systematic sampling method in three horizontal strata of the forest. The biomass of trees was estimated using an allometric equation which was later converted to the carbon stock by using carbon fraction. The study site stored 196.4 Mg C ha-1 (carbon sequestration rate: 4.78 Mg ha-1 yr-1) equivalent to 720.7 Mg CO2 ha-1 (CO2 assimilation rate: 17.58 Mg ha-1 yr-1). Eucalyptus citriodora had the highest carbon storage (54.6 Mg ha-1, 27.8%) and sequestration rate (1.33 Mg ha-1 yr-1). Cinnamomum camphora and Salix babylonica were the dominant tree species, while Salicaceae and Lauraceae were the dominant families growing in the forest. Myrtaceae was the dominant family in terms of carbon storage and carbon sequestration rate. The study suggests that E. citriodora, C. camphora, S. babylonica and P. roxburghii would be the best species to select for forest plantation which would yield large impacts on landscape-level carbon stocks and could also mitigate climate change.


Keywords

Allometric Equation, Carbon Sequestration Rate, Coronation Garden, Importance Value Index, Species-Specific.
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  • Variation in Carbon Storage Among Tree Species in The Planted Forest of Kathmandu, Central Nepal

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Authors

S. P. Bhatta
Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
K. P. Sharma
Department of Botany, Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
S. Balami
Department of Botany, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

Abstract


Carbon stock variation among trees of planted forest, was estimated in a 41-year old Coronation garden of Kathmandu, Central Nepal. Forty-one square quadrates of 20 m × 20 m were selected by applying stratified systematic sampling method in three horizontal strata of the forest. The biomass of trees was estimated using an allometric equation which was later converted to the carbon stock by using carbon fraction. The study site stored 196.4 Mg C ha-1 (carbon sequestration rate: 4.78 Mg ha-1 yr-1) equivalent to 720.7 Mg CO2 ha-1 (CO2 assimilation rate: 17.58 Mg ha-1 yr-1). Eucalyptus citriodora had the highest carbon storage (54.6 Mg ha-1, 27.8%) and sequestration rate (1.33 Mg ha-1 yr-1). Cinnamomum camphora and Salix babylonica were the dominant tree species, while Salicaceae and Lauraceae were the dominant families growing in the forest. Myrtaceae was the dominant family in terms of carbon storage and carbon sequestration rate. The study suggests that E. citriodora, C. camphora, S. babylonica and P. roxburghii would be the best species to select for forest plantation which would yield large impacts on landscape-level carbon stocks and could also mitigate climate change.


Keywords


Allometric Equation, Carbon Sequestration Rate, Coronation Garden, Importance Value Index, Species-Specific.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv115%2Fi2%2F274-282