L.S. Lodhiyal, Neelu Lodhiyal* and Nidhi Bhakuni*
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Kumaun University, Nainital-263002, UK
*Department of Botany, D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital-263002, UK
Abstract: Forest is one of the major carbon sinks which mitigates climate change problems, if deforested, they become a major source for atmospheric carbon and influence the climate from local to global level. Therefore forest must be conserved and managed in a scientific way as well as in collaboration with community residing close to the forests, because forests are depleting very fast from such sites. It is therefore prerequisite and very urgent for scientific community to save the existing forests wherever they occur. Keeping in view, we investigated the certain aspects i.e. biomass and carbon of forests located in Lohaghat, a remote border area of Kumaun in Uttarakhand. In studied forest sites, tree species richness, density and basal area ranged from 02-05, 920-1345 individual ha-1 and 58.7-93.0m2ha-1 respectively. Tree biomassof forests ranged from 495 to 718 t ha-1. Of this, Quercus leucotrichophora and Pinus roxburghii accounted for56-79 and 1-76 percent, respectively, however, rest of species accounted for 1-25 percent. Tree carbon content in forests ranged from 229 to 341tha-1. Of this, Quercus leucotrichophora and Pinus roxburghii shared 193-244 and 04-168 t ha-1. Our estimates of biomass and carbon are on higher side than earlier estimates reported by several workers for natural forests and fast growing plantations in plain area of the region. Thus it is concluded that high potential of biomass and carbon contents of studied forests must be conserved, otherwise any deforestation and degradation activities would release the already stored carbon into the atmosphere, therefore it requires a more appropriate way so that they could not further degraded from such existing forests and also promotes for new regeneration to maintain the future sustainability. Such scientific inputs not only save the high carbon potential of forests but also continuously will sequester the atmospheric carbon through enhancing tree productivity. Further it is to say that climate change is also a cause of land use changes and practices, thus we have to be very careful about forest conservation and carbon management that would sorted out the present growing climate change problems apart from various other tangible and non-tangible benefits.
Keywords: Tree species, basal area, biomass, carbon content, natural forest site, central Himalaya
REFERENCES
Adhikari, B.S., Dhaila-Adhikari, S. and Rawat, Y.S. (1998).Structure of Himalayan moist temperate Cypress forest at and around Nainital, Kumaun Himalayas. Oecologia Montana, Prunella publishers 7:21-31.
Bisht, S and Lodhiyal, L.S. (2005).Various aspects of soils and tree layer vegetation analysis in reserve forests of Kumaon in Central Himalaya. Indian Journal of Forestry 28(1): 37-50.
Chaturvedi, O.P. and Singh, J.S. (1987).The structure and function of pine forest in Central Himalaya: Dry matter dynamics. Annals of Botany, 60: 237-252.
Jina, B.S., Sah P., Bhatt M.D., and Rawat Y.S. (2008).Estimating carbon sequestration rate and total carbon stock in degraded and non degraded sites of oak and pine forest of Kumaun central Himalaya. Ecological society (ECOS), Nepal Ecoprint IS: 75:81.
Lodhiyal, L. S. and Lodhiyal, N. (1997). Variation in biomass and net primary productivity in short rotation high-density Central Himalayan poplar plantations. Forest Ecology and Management, 98: 167-179.
Lodhiyal, L. S., Singh, R. P. and Singh, S. P. (1995). Structure and function of an age series of Poplar plantations in Central Himalaya I. Dry matter dynamics. Annals of Botany, 76: 191-199.
Lodhiyal, N. and Lodhiyal, L. S. (2003).Biomass and net primary productivity of Bhabar Shisham forest in Central Himalaya, India. Forest Ecology and Management, 176: 217-235.
Lodhiyal, L.S., Lodhiyal N. and Kapkoti B. (2013).Structure and diversity of tree species in natural forest of Kumaun Himalaya in Uttarakhand. Journal of plant Development science. 5(2):97-105.
Lodhiyal, N., Lodhiyal, L. S. and Pangtey, Y. P. S. (2002). Structure and function of Shisham forests in Central Himalaya, India: Dry matter dynamics. Annals of Botany, 89: 41-54.
Lodhiyal, N. and Lodhiyal, L.S. (2012). Tree layer composition and carbon content of Oak and Pine in Lohaghat forest of Kumaun Himalaya. Journal of plant development Science, 4 (1): 55-62.
Lodhiyal, L.S. (2011). Biodiversity conservation and management of forests: The significance of participation of stakeholders and communities, Quest-The Journal of UGC-ASC Nainital 5(1); 49-81
Magnussen, S. and Reed, D. (2004).Modeling for Estimation and Monitoring. FAO-IUFRO
Melhi, Y., Nobre, A.D. and Grace, J. (1998).Carbon dioxide transfer over a central Amazonian rain forest.Journal of Geophysical research 103:593-631.
Misra, R. (1968). Ecology Work Book Oxford and IBH Publishing, Calcutta.
Rana, B.S., Singh, S. P. and Singh, R. P. (1989). Biomass and net primary productivity in Central Himalayan forests along an altitudinal gradient. Forest Ecology and Management, 27: 199-218.
Rawat, Y. S. and Singh, J. S. (1988). Structure and function of oak forest in central Himalaya I. Dry matter dynamics. Annals of Botany, 62: 397.
Saxena, A.K. and Singh, J.S. (1982).A phytosociological analysis of woody species in forest communities of a part of Kumaon Himalaya. Vegetation 50: 3-22.
Sharma, C.M., Ghildiyal S.K., Gairola, S. and Suyal, S. (2009). Vegetation structure, composition and diversity in relation to the soil characteristics of temperate mixed broad-leaved forest along an altitudinal gradient in Garhwal Himalaya. Ind. J. Sci. Technol. 2(7): 39-45.
Singh, J. S. and Singh, S. P. (1992). Forests of Himalaya: Structure, functioning and impact of man. Gyanodaya Prakashan, Nainital, India.
Singh, P. and Lodhiyal, L.S. (2009). Biomass and carbon allocation in 8-year-old Poplar (Populus deltoides Marsh) plantation in Tarai agroforestry systems of Central Himalaya, India. New York Journal of Science, 2(6): 49-53.
Watson, R.T., Noble, I.R., Bolin, B., Ravindranathan, N.H. and Verardo (eds.) (2000). Land use, land use change and forestry. Special report of the intergovernmental panal on climate change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge U.K.