Carbon storage of artificial forests in rehabilitated lands in the upper reaches of the Yellow River |
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Authors: | Jianzhong Hu |
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Institution: | (1) Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Combating of Ministry of Education, College of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China;(2) Soil and Water Conservation Centre, Ministry of Water Resources, Beijing, 100083, China |
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Abstract: | We studied 10-to 27-year-old artificial forests on rehabilitated lands in the upper reaches of the Yellow River with the objective
of comparing the carbon densities of various artificial and natural forests. Under artificial plantations, the vegetation
layer (including roots) had a mean carbon density of 111.3 t/hm2, the litter layer a density of 5.1 t/hm2, and the soil layer a density of 64.9 t/hm2. These values accounted for 28.6%, 13.8%, and 61.0% of their respective counterparts in the natural secondary forests under
the same site conditions in the region. The ratios of carbon density among vegetation, litter, and soil pools were 39.6:1.8:58.6
for artificial forests and 57.4:2.7:39.9 for natural forests. The carbon densities of the vegetation and litter layers increased
exponentially with forest age. The total carbon density ratios were also increasing gradually. Although the mean total carbon
density of the artificial forests in the rehabilitated lands was 281.2 t/hm2 in the experimental area, it accounted for only 41.5% of the carbon density of the natural secondary forests (677.4 t/hm2). The annual increase in total carbon density of artificial forests was as high as 15.2 t/hm2, which was 11.7% more than that of natural forests and 6.8 times higher than that (1.95 t/hm) of artificial forests in the
entire country as measured during 1994–1998. This indicates that growth and carbon storage capacity of artificial forests
in the rehabilitated lands were higher than those of forests on the barren hills and the secondary forests. We concluded that
the conversion project from croplands to forests and grasslands based on scientific principles is very important in the formation
of carbon sinks for reducing greenhouse effects.
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Translated from Journal of Beijing Forestry University, 2005, 27(6): 1–8 译自: 北京林业大学学报, 2005, 27(6): 1–8] |
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Keywords: | artificial forests in rehabilitated land carbon storage litter layer soil layer vegetation layer upper reaches of the Yellow River |
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