Effects of Tree Species Diversity and Stand Structure on Carbon Stocks of Homestead Forests in Maheshkhali Island, Southern Bangladesh

Abstract

BackgroundThis study aimed to estimate the carbon (C) stocks in homestead forest ecosystems (trees, litterfall, and soil) of Maheshkhali Island in Bangladesh and how tree species diversity and stand structural variation affected these C stocks. We randomly surveyed a total of 239 homestead forests proportionately allocating in hillside (67), beachside (69), and inland (103) in 2019 for measuring woody plants and sampling litterfall and C in soil at 0-30 cm depth. Tree (above- and below-ground) biomass was estimated by using pan-tropical allometric equations, and carbon of litterfall and soil were analyzed in a laboratory. ResultsWe found a total of 52 tree species, of which, 41, 42, and 48 species were in the hillside, beachside, and inland, respectively, corresponding to the individuals of 840, 540, and 1504 sampled. According to the results, species diversity, richness, stand density, basal area (BA), and tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and height were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater in the hillside and inland homestead forests, compared to the beachside. Most abundant species, for example, Mangifera indica, Samanea saman, and Artocarpus heterophyllus in the inland and hillside homestead forests stored most C in biomass, compared to the beachside forest. Tree biomass C stocks were 48-67% greater in the inland and hillside than on beachside forests due to significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater stand density, BA, and DBH. The overall C stock of litterfall was 0.1% of the total biomass carbon. C stock in soil surface was greatest in the hillside homestead forests due to the greatest litterfall. The total soil C stock was also affected by tree species, stand density and species richness, and their interaction with soil properties. Total soil C stocks across the depths were greatest (51 Mg ha-1) in the inland homestead forests, with the greatest stand density and species richness. ConclusionsHomestead forest ecosystems across the area stored total 96 Mg C ha-1, which thus can contribute to climate change mitigation while generating C credit for small-scale homestead forests owners as well as conserving biodiversity in Bangladesh and countries alike.

Carbon Stock in above and below Ground Biomass of Three Age Series of Pinus carribaea and Nauclea diderrichii Plantations; Omo Forest, Area J4 Ogun State, Nigeria

“…From the result obtained, Pinus carribaea had the highest total carbon stock, having a total of 408 sampled trees in the plantation and the dbh ranges from 32cm-108cm, as compared to Nauclea diderrichhi plantation that has a lesser concentration, with a total of 108 sampled trees and dbh range from 18cm-204cm. This agrees to the finding of [27] who stated that species coverage contributes to the total carbon stock were more in line with their relative abundance [28]. From the result obtained, it is observed that Carbon sequestration capacity varies from species, age, tree sizes in terms of DBH and height, as well as the stand growth of each of the plantations under study.…”

Capitalizing Trees for Carbon Sequestration as a Co-Benefit of Biophilic Urbanism

“…Several studies have found that combining different families of native and exotic trees improves carbon sequestration performance [22,37,38]. Mixing different species of trees had more profound results in carbon storage [39,40].…”

Tree Species Biodiversity in Small Ukrainian Towns

“…High species diversity is a necessary condition for maintaining the forest multifunctionality and increasing most of its functions (Sanaei et al, 2021) such as promoting productivity in forests (Morin et al, 2011), correlating with carbon stocks (Baul et al, 2021;Sintayehu et al, 2020;Wakhidah et al, 2020), potentially increasing the resilience of green plantations to disturbances and stresses, including drought (Palandrani et al, 2020), and reducing damage caused by insects and pathogens (Wang et al, 2021).…”