Carbon accumulation in the biomass and soil of different aged secondary forests in the humid tropics of Costa Rica

Efforts are needed in order to increase confidence for carbon accounts in the land use sector. The aim of this study was then to estimate biomass and carbon accumulation in young secondary forests, from 4 and up to 20 years of age, as well as its distribution among the different pools (tree including roots, herbaceous understory, dead wood, litter and soil), in humid tropical forests of Costa Rica. Carbon fraction for the different pools and tree components (stem, branches, leaves and roots) was estimated and varies between 37.3% (±3.3) and 50.3% (±2.9). Average carbon content in the soil was 4.1% (±2.1). Average forest plant biomass was 82.2 (±47.9) Mg ha−1 and the mean annual increment for carbon in the biomass was 4.2 Mg ha−1 yr−1. Approximately 65.2% of total biomass was found in the aboveground tree components, while 14.2% was found in structural roots and the rest in the herbaceous vegetation and necromass. Carbon in the soil increased by 1.1 Mg ha−1 yr−1. Total stored carbon in the forest was 180.4 Mg ha−1 at the age of 20 years. In these forests, most of the carbon (51–83%) was stored in the soil. Models selected to estimate biomass and carbon in trees as predicted by basal area had R2 adjustments above 95%. Results from this study were then compared with those obtained for a variety of secondary and primary forests in different Latin-American tropical ecosystems and in tree plantations in the same study area.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	68386 Fonseca, William Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Escuela de Ciencias Ambientales, 110169 Rey Benayas, José María (autor/a) Universidad de Alcalá. Departamento de Ecología, 41464 Alice, Federico E. (autor/a) Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Escuela de Ciencias Ambientales
Format:	Texto biblioteca
Language:	eng
Published:	Amsterdam Elsevier 2011
Subjects:	BIOMASA, MODELOS, CARBONO, ALMACENAMIENTO, CARBONO ORGANICO DEL SUELO (COS), SUELO, PLANTACION FORESTAL, ARBOLES, REGENERACION NATURAL, BOSQUE TROPICAL HUMEDO, BOSQUE SECUNDARIO, ECUACIONES ALOMETRICAS, BIOMASS, MODELS, CARBON, STORAGE, SOIL, FOREST PLANTATIONS, TREES, NATURAL REGENERATION, TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS, SECONDARY FORESTS,
Online Access:	http://orton.catie.ac.cr/repdoc/A11180i/A11180i.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112711003987
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