Carbon pool and its sequestration in natural stands of tropical and sub tropical bamboo species in Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

Bamboos are fast growing species representing a small section of the overall forest area on earth however, they play a significant role as carbon sink. The present study was conducted to assess carbon pool and its sequestration in natural stands of tropical and sub-tropical bamboo species in Arunachal Pradesh. Bamboo distribution map in the study was generated by using geospatial technology including Geographical information system, Global positioning system and field observation. Standard methods as outlined by Allen et al (1974) and others were followed for detail soil and plant analysis. Destructive sampling technique was done for estimation of biomass and carbon stock of selected bamboo species. newlineGenerated distribution map showed that in the tropical region, D. hamiltonii showed a wide range of distribution and was present in almost all the district while C. callosa distribution was restricted only to few districts of the state. In the bamboo brakes, the soil type recorded was sandy loam. Temporal and spatial variations in soil parameters were observed with subtropical region showing higher nutrient contents. The vegetation data collected showed that the herbaceous species in bamboo habitats were mostly annual. The herbaceous and shrub/seedling species in tropical and sub-tropical bamboo brakes were highly heterogeneous in their composition and does not allow dominance of a species and the two sites showed great dissimilarity. newlineThe total standing biomass and mean annual bamboo biomass productivity estimated was higher in tropical bamboo brakes. Carbon content of different parts of D. Hamiltonii and C. Callosa recorded was highest in culm, followed by leaves, branch and rhizome. The overall ecosystem carbon stock (above ground and below ground) recorded was 140.52 Mg ha-1 in D. hamiltonii bamboo brakes and it was 104.23 Mg ha-1 in C. callosa bamboo brakes. Total carbon sequestration in tropical D. hamiltonii brakes between the two year of data collection was 21.64 Mg ha-1 yr-2 and in sub-tropical C.