The impact of land afforestation on carbon stocks surrounding Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The city of Tehran, like many polluted metropolises of the world, has higher emissions of greenhouse gases than other cities in Iran, due to heavy consumption of fossil fuel and landuse changes. To estimate carbon sequestration in two 40 year-old stands of planted Cupressus arizonica and Fraxinus rotundifolia in degraded lands surrounding Tehran, sampling of above- and below-ground biomass, soil (at two depths of 0–15 and 15–30 cm), and leaf litter was done by systematic random sampling. The total carbon stocks of C. arizonica and F. rotundifolia stands were respectively 328.20 and 150.69 Mg·ha⁻¹. The aboveground biomass with 233.16(71%) Mg·ha⁻¹ in C. arizonica and 88.16 (58.50%) Mg·ha⁻¹ in F. rotundifolia contributed the most shares to carbon sequestration. The diameter at breast height, total height, basal area, total volume, and biomass of C. arizonica were significantly (p <0.01) higher than those of F. rotundifolia. Also the depth of 02–30 cm of soil contributed between 18.29 % and 32.15 % of total ecosystem carbon, respectively. The economic value of carbon sequestration in the two stands in 2011 was calculated at 3.5 and 2.5 million dollars, respectively. Our results indicate that afforestation of the degraded land surrounding Tehran would sequester more carbon than would continuously degraded land, the current status quo. These stands can absorb atmospheric CO₂ at different rates, thus tree species selection and stand development should be considered in planning future afforestation projects.

Keywords

carbon sequestration / afforestation / Cupressus arizonica / Fraxinus rotundifolia / Tehran

References

[1] Allard V, Soussana JF, Falcimagne R, Berbigier P, Bonnefond JM, Ceschia E, D’hou P, Henault C, Laville P, Martin C, Pinare’s-Patino C. The role of grazing management for The net biome productivity and Greenhouse gas Budget (CO2, N2O and CH4) of semi-natural Grassland. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 2007, 121: 47-58.

[2] Allison LE. Black C A, Evans D D, White J L, Ensminger L E, Clark F E. Organic carbon. Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2, Chemical and Microbiological Properties. 1965, Madison: American Society of Agronomy, 1367.

[3] Aradottir A, Ssavarsdottir L, Kristian H, Jonsson P, Gudbergson G. Carbon accumulation in vegetation and solids by reclamation of degraded areas. Icelandic Agricultural Sciences, 2000, 13: 99-113.

[4] Arevalo CBM, Bhatti JS, Chang SX, Sidders D. Ecosystem carbon stocks and distribution under different land-uses in north central Alberta, Canada. Forest Ecology and Management, 2009, 257(8): 345-357.

[5] Birdsey R, Heath I, Williams D. Estimation of Carbon Budget Model of the United State Forest Sector. Advances in Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Inventory, Measurements and Monitoring Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, October 3–5, 2000, 2000 51 59

[6] Blake GR, Hartge KH. Bulk density. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part I. Physical and Mineralogical Methods, 1986, 9: 1363-376.

[7] Bouyoucos GJ. Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analysis of soils. Argon J, 1962, 56: 464-465.

[8] Bremner JM, Mulvaney CS. Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney RR. Nitrogen-total. Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2, 1982 Second ed. Madison, WI: American Society of Agronomy, 595 624

[9] Cannell R, Dewar RC. The carbon sink provided by plantation forests and their products in Britain. Forestry, 1995, 68(1): 35-48.

[10] Cannell R. Carbon sequestration and biomass energy offset: theoretical, potential and Achievable capacities globally, in Europe and UK. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2003, 24: 97-116.

[11] Ceulemans R, Janssens IA, Jach ME. Effects of CO2 Enrichment on Trees and Forests: Lessons to be learned in View of Future Ecosystem Studies. Annals of Botany, 1999, 84: 577-590.

[12] Davis MR, Condron LM. Impact of grassland afforestation on soil carbon in New Zealand: a Review of paired-site studies. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 2002, 40: 675-690.

[13] Dewar RC, Cannell MGR. Carbon sequestration in the trees, soil and wood products of Managed forests. Trees physiology, 1992, 8: 239-258.

[14] Dinakaran J, Krishnayya NSR. Variations in type of vegetal cover and heterogeneity of soil Organic carbon in affecting sink capacity of tropical soils. Current Science, 2008, 94(9): 1144-1150.

[15] Grunzweig JM, Lin T, Rotenberg E, Schwartz A, Yakir D. Carbon Sequestration in Arid-land Forest. Global Change Biology, 2003, 9: 791-799.

[16] Hernandez R, Koohafkan P, Antoine J. Assessing Carbon Stocks and modeling win-win Scenarios of carbon sequestration through land-use changes, 2004 166.

[17] Honda Y, Yamamoto H, Kajiwara K. Biomass Information in Central Asia, 2000 1 33

[18] Hoover GM, Birdsey RA, Heat LS, Stout SL. How to estimate Carbon sequestration on small Forest Tracts. Journal of Forestry, 2000, 98: 13-19.

[19] House JI, Colin Prentice C, Le Quere C. Maximum impacts of future reforestation or deforestation On atmospheric CO2. Global Change Biology, 2002, 8: 1047-1052.

[20] Hu YL, Zeng DH, Fan ZP, Chen GS, Zhao Q, Pepper D. Changes in ecosystem carbon stocks following grassland afforestation of semiarid sandy soil in the southeastern Keerqin Sandy Lands, China. Journal of Arid Environments, 2008, 21: 72-81.

[21] IPCC. Land Use. Land Use Change and Forestry. A Special Report, Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. 2000, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 127 180

[22] IPCC. Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. 2001, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 881.

[23] Jackson RB, Banner JL, Jobbagy EG, Pockman WT, Wall DH. Ecosystem carbon loss With woody plant invasion of grasslands. Nature, 2002, 418: 22-26.

[24] Johnson DW, Todd J, Todd DE, Tolbert VR. Changes in ecosystem carbon and nitrogen in a Loblolly pine plantation over the first 18 years. Soil Sci Soc Am J, 2003, 67: 1594-1601.

[25] Kerckhoffs LHJ, Reid JB. Carbon sequestration in the standing biomass of orchard crops in New Zealand. 2007, Hastings, New Zealand: New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research Ltd, RD2

[26] Laclau P. Biomass and Carbon Sequestration of Ponderosa Pine Plantations and Native Cypress forests in Northwest Patagonia. Forest Ecology and Management, 2003, 180(1–3): 317-333.

[27] Lal R. Forest soils and carbon sequestration. Forest Ecology and Management, 2005, 220: 242-258.

[28] Lemma B, Kleja DB, Olsson M, Nilsson I. Factors controlling soil organic carbon sequestration under exotic tree plantations: A case study using the CO₂Fix model in southwestern Ethiopia. Forest Ecology and Management, 2007, 252: 124-131.

[29] Losi CJ, Siccama TG, Juan RC, Morales E. Analysis of alternative methods for Estimating carbon stock in young tropical plantations. Forest Ecology and Management, 2003, 184(1–3): 355-368.

[30] Luciuk GM, Bonneau MA, Boyle DM, Vibery E. 2000. Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. Paper, Carbon Sequestration-Additional Environmental Benefits of Forests in the PFRA, p.33.

[31] MacDicken KG. A Guide to Monitoring Carbon Storage in Forestry and Agro forestry Projects, 1997 91.

[32] Mendham DS, O’Connell AM, Grove TS. Change in soil carbon after land clearing or afforestation in highly weathered lateritic and sandy soil of South-Western Australia. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 2003, 95(1): 143-156.

[33] Oliver GR, Beets PN, Garrett LG, Pearce SH, Kimberly MO, Ford-Robertson JB, Robertson KA. Variation in soil carbon in pine plantations and implications for monitoring soil carbon stocks in relation to land-use change and forest site management in New Zealand. Forest Ecology and Management, 2004, 203(1–3): 283-295.

[34] Benítez P C, McCallum I, Obersteiner M, Yamagata Y. Global potential for carbon sequestration: Geographical distribution, country risk and policy implications. Ecological Economics, 2003, 60: 572-583.

[35] Peng XH, Zhang B, Zhao QG. A review on relationship between soil organic carbon pools and soil structure Stability. Acta Pedol Sin, (In Chinese), 2004, 41: 618-623.

[36] Redondo-Brenes A. Growth, carbon sequestration and management of native tree plantation in humid regions of Costa Rica. New Forests, 2007, 34: 253-268.

[37] Redondo-Brenes A, Mantagnini F. Growth, productivity, aboveground biomass and carbon sequestration of pure and mixed native tree plantation in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. Forest Ecology and Management, 2006, 232(1–3): 168-178.

[38] Rossi J, Govaerts A, De Vos B, Verbist B, Vervoort A, Poesen J, Muys B, Deckers J. Spatial structures of soil organic carbon in tropical forests-a case study of Southeastern Tanzania. Catena, 2009, 77: 19-27.

[39] Sandra B. Forest carbon monitoring Program, 2000 91.

[40] Satoo T, Madgwick HAI. Biomass. Forest Biomass. Forestry Sciences, 1982, 6: 46-89.

[41] Scott N, Kelvin A, Tate R, Giltrap D, Wilde HR, Davis M. Land-cover effects on soil Carbon storage in New Zealand: A national monitoring system. Advances in Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Inventory, Measurements, and Monitoring Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, October 3–5, 2000, 2000

[42] Schuman GE, Janzen H, Herrick JE. Soil carbon information and potential carbon sequestration by rangelands. Environmental Pollution, 2002, 116: 391-396.

[43] Smith KA. After the Kyoto protocol: can soil scientists make a useful contribution?. Soil Use and Management, 1999, 15: 71-75.

[44] Steele SJ, Gower ST, Vogel JG, Norman JM. Root mass, net primary production and Turnover in aspen, jack pine and black spruce forests in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. Tree Physiology, 1997, 17(8–9): 577-587.

[45] Stevens A, Wesemael Bv. Soil organic carbon stock in the Belgian Ardennes as affected by afforestation and deforestation from 1868 to 2005. Forest Ecology and Management, 2008, 256(8): 1527-1539.

[46] Vallet P, Meredieu C, Seynave I, Belouard I, Dhote JF. Species substitution for carbon storage: Sessile oak versus Corsican pine in France as a case study. Forest Ecology and Management, 2009, 257: 1314-1323.

[47] Varamesh S, Hosseini SM, Abdi N, Akbarinia M. Effects of afforestation on soil carbon sequestration in an urban forest of arid zone in Chitgar forest park of Tehran. Nauka za Gorata, 2010, 47(3): 75-90.

[48] Varamesh S, Hosseini SM, Abdi N. Estimating Potential of Urban Forests for Atmospheric Carbon Sequestration. Journal of Environmental Studies, 2011, 37: 113-120.

[49] Vedrova EF. Binkley D, Menyailo O. Biochemistry of carbon and nitrogen in the Siberian afforestation experiment. Tree Species Effects on Soils: Implications for Global Change. 2005, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic, 281 292

[50] Walker SM, Desanker PV. The impact of land use on soil carbon in Miombo Woodlands of Malawi. Forest Ecology and Management, 2004, 203(1–3): 345-360.

[51] Watson RT. Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry: A Special Report of the IPCC. 2000, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 377.

[52] Wauters JB, Coudert S, Grallien E, Jonard M, Ponette Q. Carbon stock in rubber tree plantations in Western Ghana and Mato Grosso (Brazil). Forest Ecology and Management, 2008, 255: 2347-2361.

[53] Wu QB, Wang XK, Oyang ZY. Soil organic carbon and its fractions across vegetation types: effects of soil mineral surface area and micro aggregates. Pedosphere, 2009, 19(2): 258-264.