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Variation in above and below ground carbon storage in a Eucalyptus grandis plantation established in a grassland with a chronosequence of age

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Abstract

Plantation forests are one of the major carbon sinks. However, knowledge is scarce regarding the short- and long-term carbon sequestration potentials of plantation forests grown in tropical grasslands. Therefore, the changes in aboveground carbon stocks (AGC) and soil carbon stocks in a chronosequence of Eucalyptus grandis plantations (4, 10, 19, and 27 years) established on grasslands in mid-elevational areas of Sri Lanka were studied in the present study. An adjacent grassland was studied as the control. Carbon stock of understory significantly decreased with stand age (p = 0.000) while carbon stock of litter layer significantly increased with stand age (p = 0.001). Total AGC stocks and soil carbon stocks in E. grandis plantation forests were significantly higher than that of the grassland (p < 0.05). Moreover, soil carbon stocks in E. grandis plantations increased significantly with increasing stand age (R2 = 86.8%). With the increasing depth, soil carbon stock had significantly decreased (p < 0.05). There was a 56% increase in overall ecosystem carbon stock after 27 years and approximately 20 times higher ecosystem carbon stock than the grassland, which was their previous land use. Therefore, the study suggests that stand age plays a major role in carbon storage in plantation forests and the use of E. grandis as a plantation crop would be a beneficial option for rapid carbon sequestration in grass-dominated ecosystems in the tropics. In the long run, this could be a good solution for rebalancing the ecosystem that has been severely impacted. Further, this study provides valuable information in deciding the thinning age of Eucalyptus plantation forests in the tropics based on the C sequestration potential.

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National Institute of Fundamental Studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Uva Wellassa University, Badulla, Sri Lanka

    M. M. S. N. Premetilake

  2. National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantana Road, Kandy, Sri Lanka

    S. A. Kulasooriya & R. R. Ratnayake

  3. Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

    G. A. D. Perera

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Premetilake, M.M.S.N., Perera, G.A.D., Kulasooriya, S.A. et al. Variation in above and below ground carbon storage in a Eucalyptus grandis plantation established in a grassland with a chronosequence of age. Trop Ecol 64, 601–611 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-022-00286-2

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