Leaves Calorific Values of Selected Species in Burnt Tropical Peat Swamp Forest in Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract

Forest fire in Malaysia's peat swamp forest is a major concern since it is contributing to the country's haze episode. Forest fire in peat areas is difficult to be extinguished and may occur for days. Understanding fuel characteristics is the key to develop effective fuel management in peat swamp forest. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the common species coverage and calorific value of the common plants species in the burnt peat swamp forest. The study was conducted in the rehabilitated areas of Raja Musa Forest Reserved, Selangor, Malaysia. 9 plots were established along canal 6 in Compartment 100 of the Raja Musa Forest Reserved. Plants were surveyed in the 9 plots and based on the survey, 8 species (Imperata cylindrica, Macaranga pruinosa, Nephrolepis biserrata, Melastoma malabathricum, Lygodium flexuosum, Uncaria tomentosa, Scleria sumatrensis and Melicope latifolia) most higest coverage found in that area. Scleria sumatrensis had the highest coverage of 40% followed by Melastoma malabathricum of coverage of 21%. The data suggested that the 8 species covered most of the study area and have the potential to be forest fuel. Uncaria Tomentosa had the highest calorific value with 4832.8 cal/g while Nephrolepis biserrata had the lowest value of 3825.2 cal/g. The findings concluded that the Sceleria sumatrensis had the highest coverage and calorific values of the selected plants vary with species. These information provide insight on the species common in burnt tropical peat swamp forest and are helpful in formulating forest fire control programme.

Diversity and Biotic Index of Wild Pioneer Plants as Potential Bioindicators of Crude Oil-Contaminated Soil in Siak Regency, Riau Province, Indonesia

“…Species S. sumatrensis is a typical species found in almost all sites, especially in contaminated areas by oil spills. In Malaysia, S. sumatrensis was reported to be a pioneer sedge, had fast growth and formed a large coverage in swamps after forest fires [29]. Fast growing and resistance to crude oil toxicity are important requirements for effective phytoremediation agents.…”

Leaf decomposition and flammability are largely decoupled across species in a tropical swamp forest despite sharing some predictive leaf functional traits

“…In addition to the strong environmental controls of both decomposability and flammability, there are substantial interspecific differences between plant species in litter decomposition rates in waterlogged conditions (Rahajoe & Kohyama, 2003; Sulistiyanto et al ., 2005; Yule & Gomez, 2009) and between species leaf calorific contents, which serve as a proxy for fuel load for burning (Ulok et al ., 2016). Except for leaf calorific quantifications, there remains a lack of knowledge surrounding the flammability of swamp forest flora and how this differs among species.…”