M. N. Jha , M. K. Gupta , Alok Saxena , Rajesh Kumar

Abstract

Global warming and emission of CO₂ are of world wide concern because these are creating environmental imbalance and are a long term threat to the well being of all life on earth. Soil is a major sink of carbon. 9815.95 million tonnes of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) store was estimated in total forest soils (as per 1994 forest stands) under 19 species spread over 27 States and Union territories in India. Spruce forest soil has maximum SOC store (386.0 t/ha) while Khair has minimum (51.93 t/ha). In India , miscellaneous forests are spread over an area of 40.7316 million ha , and their soils have maximum SOC store (6469.80 million tonnes) while in Hollong forest with an area of 0.0068 million ha , soils have the least SOC store (0.82 million million tonnes). Among the Indian States , Arunachal Pradesh has maximum SOC store (1702.08 million tonnes) while Dadra&Nagar Haveli has minimum (2.42 million tonnes) SOC store. Arunachal Pradesh ranks first in India having 248.11 t/ha SOC store in the soils of the State. Soil conservation practices should be strengthened to conserve these natural resources so that carbon store may not deplete especially from hilly terrain.

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Alok Saxena , M. N. Jha , J. K. Rawat

Abstract

Forests playa significant role in global carbon cycle and due to their potential to capture and hold carbon, they are now considered an important climate change mitigation option. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) developed a methodology in 1995 to assess the above ground growing stock of the forested areas of the country for integrating remote sensing data (information based on satellite data as well as aerial photographs) with the field inventory data to assess above ground growing stock of forest at national level. This methodology has recently been used by FSI in collaboration with the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun to assess growing stock, above ground woody biomass and the carbon content in it, for the year 1984 and 1994. Growing stock for the year 1994 is estimated to be 4340.0 million m³, while the above ground woody biomass and carbon were estimated to be 2395.4 million tonnes and 1083.8 million tonnes respectively. It is also observed that there has been a marginal increase in growing stock, biomass and carbon in forested areas in the country between the period 1984 and 1994. The work has been done as a part of the 'Land Use and Land Use Change&Forestry' component of India's Initial National Communication (NATCOM) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

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S. N. Rai , Alok Saxena

Abstract

Forest fires and indiscrimate grazing are among the most important factors that affect the natural regeneration in the forests and cause its degradation. Results of the inventories carried out by the Forest Survey of India show that on an average 54.7% of the forest is affected by fire, 77.6% area has grazing incidence and 72.1% forest area has no regeneration. These results further reveal that moist deciduous forests have more incidences offire while dry-deciduous and thorny forests are more subjected to grazing.

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