Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon storage from 1992 to 2002 in forest ecosystems in Guangdong, Southern China

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aims

The overall goal of this study was to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of C storage from 1992 to 2002 in forest ecosystems in Guangdong, China.

Methods

We used 2237, 2103, and 1978 plot data from three continuous forest inventory in 1992, 1997, and 2002, respectively, four TM images and one soil survey data in Guangdong to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of C storage in forest ecosystems during 1992–2002. The uncertainty analysis of forest C storage in Guangdong in 1992 and 2002 was also conducted to provide the range of estimations.

Results

The forest coverage percent in Guangdong increased from 37.1 % in 1992 to 57.2 % in 2002 while the total forest C storage in Guangdong increased from 144.73 ± 6.20 Tg in 1992 to 215.03 ± 8.48 Tg in 2002. The order of average forest biomass C storage increase during 1992–2002 among the four regions is Western Guangdong (GW) > Eastern Guangdong (GE) > the Pearl River Delta (PRE) > Northern Guangdong (GN). The factors including tree species and altitude and slope aspect can explain 58–67 % variation of Veg C storage multiple regression model in Guangdong. However, the multiple regression model for SOC storage can only explain about 18–39 % variation of SOC storage in Guangdong. Total ecosystem C is mainly determined by SOC storage.

Conclusions

The total forest C storage in Guangdong increased about 49 % from 1992 to 2002 partially due to the increasing forest coverage percent over the period. The spatial distribution of forest C storage in Guangdong was uneven and this pattern reflects differences in forest management and economic and social development. Future forest management should focus on the selection of tree species, management of forest stand structures and implementation of sustainable practices so that Veg C sequestration potentials can be maximized.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

C:

Carbon

DBH:

Diameter at breast height

DEM:

Digital Elevation Model

GE:

Eastern Guangdong

GN:

Guangdong

GW:

Western Guangdong

PRE:

The Pearl River Delta

SOC:

Soil organic C

Veg C:

Forest vegetation C

References

  • Alexeyev V, Birdsey R, Stakanov V, Korotkov I (1995) C in vegetation of Russian forests: methods to estimate storage and geographical distribution. Water Air Soil Pollut 82:271–282

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Böttcher H, Freibauer A, Obersteiner M, Schulze ED (2008) Uncertainty analysis of climate change mitigation options in the forestry sector using a generic carbon budget model. Ecol Model 213:45–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ciais P, Schelhaas MJ, Zaehle S, Piao SL, Cescatti A, Liski J, Luyssaert S, Le-Maire G, Schulze ED, Bouriaud O, Freibauer A, Valentini R, Nabuurs GJ (2008) Carbon accumulation in European forests. Nat Geosci 1:425–429

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen J, Cohen P, West SG, Aiken LS (2003) Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences, 3rd edn. Lawrence Erlbaum Associate, Inc., New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Deng JF, Lin ZD (2009) The development planning of Guangdong forestry. Chinese Forestry Publishing House, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon RK, Brown S, Houghton RA, Solomon AM, Trexler MC, Wisniewski J (1994) C pools and flux of global forest ecosystems. Science 262:185–190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elvidge C, Yuan D, Weerackoon R, Lunetta R (1995) Relative radiometric normalization of Landsat Multispectral Scanner data using automatic scattergram-controlled regression. Photogramm Eng Rem S 61:1255–1260

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang JY, Liu GH, Xu SL (1996) Biomass and net production of forest vegetation in China. Acta Ecol Sin 16:497–508 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang J, Chen A, Peng C, Zhao S, Ci L (2001) Changes in forest biomass C storage in China between 1949 and 1998. Science 292:2320–2322

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gan H, Wu S, Fan X (2003) Reserves and spatial distribution characteristics of soil organic C in Guangdong Province. Chin J Appl Ecol 14:1499–1502 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Graham MH (2003) Confronting multicollinearity in ecological multiple regression. Ecology 84:2809–2815

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guangdong Forestry Bureau (2007) Results of the 7th Continuous forest inventory of Guangdong Province. Guangdong Forestry Bureau, Guangzhou (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Houghton RA (2005) Aboveground forest biomass and the global C balance. Glob Chang Biol 11:945–958

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jobin B, Beaulieu J, Grenier M, Bélanger L, Maisonneuve C, Bordage D, Filion B (2003) Landscape changes and ecological studies in agricultural regions, Québec, Canada. Landsc Ecol 18:575–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirby KR, Potvin C (2007) Variation in carbon storage among tree species: implications for the management of a small-scale carbon sink project. For Ecol Manage 246:208–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larocque GR, Bhatti JS, Boutin R, Chertov O (2008) Uncertainty analysis in carbon cycle models of forest ecosystems: research needs and development of a theoretical framework to estimate error propagation. Ecol Model 219:400–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee T, Yeh H (2009) Applying remote sensing techniques to monitor shifting wetland vegetation: a case study of Danshui River estuary mangrove communities, Taiwan. Ecol Eng 35:487–496

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Wu J (2006) Uncertainty analysis in ecological studies—an overview. In: Wu J, Jones KB, Li H, Loucks OL (eds) Scaling and uncertainty analysis in ecology: methods and applications. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 45–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Li P, Huang ZL, Ren H, Liu HX, Wang Q (2011) The evolution of environmental management philosophy under rapid economic development in China. Ambio 40:88–92

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lin M, Ma X, Xie S, Chen Z, Xu Y (2008) Dynamic change in forest resources and drives in Guangdong province. Ecol Environ 17:785–791 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu GH, Fu BJ, Fang JY (2000) C dynamics of Chinese forests and its contribution to global C balance. Acta Ecol Sin 20:733–740 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nabuurs GJ, Hengeveld GM, Van Der Werf DC, Heidema AH (2010) European forest C balance assessed with inventory based methods-An introduction to a special section. For Ecol Manage 260:239–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Office of Soil Survey (1993) Guangdong soil. Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng SL, Hou YP, Chen BM (2009) Vegetation restoration and its effects on C balance in Guangdong Province, China. Restor Ecol 17:487–494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raupach MR, Rayner PJ, Barrett DJ, Defriess RS, Heimann M, Ojima DS, Quegan S, Schmullius CC (2005) Model–data synthesis in terrestrial carbon observation: methods, data requirements and data uncertainty specifications. Glob Chang Biol 11:378–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ren H, Huang P, Zhang QM, Hou CM (2002) Forest resources and ecosystem service in Guangdong. Chinese Environmental Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ren H, Shen WJ, Lu HF, Wen XY, Jian SG (2007) Degraded ecosystems in China: status, causes, and restoration efforts. Landsc Ecol Eng 3:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ren H, Wu XM, Ning TZ, Huang G, Wang J, Jian SG, Lu HF (2011a) Wetland changes and mangrove restoration planning in Shenzhen Bay in Southern China. Landsc Ecol Eng 7:241–250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ren Y, Wei XH, Zhang L, Cui SH, Chen F, Xiong YX, Xie PP (2011b) Potential for forest vegetation carbon storage in Fujian Province, China, determined from forest inventories. Plant Soil 345:125–140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saaty TL (1990) Multicriteria decision making: the analytic hierarchy process. RWS Publications, Pittsburgh

    Google Scholar 

  • Saaty TL (2008) Relative measurement and its generalization in decision making: why pairwise comparisons are central in mathematics for the measurement of intangible factors-the analytic hierarchy/network process. Rev R Span Acad Sci, Ser A, Math 102:251–318

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlesinger WH (1991) Biogeochemistry: an analysis of global change. Academic, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Tian HQ, Wang SQ, Liu JY, Pan SF, Chen H, Zhang C, Shi XZ (2006) Patterns of soil nitrogen storage in China. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 20(GB1001):1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner DP, Koerper GJ, Harmon ME, Lee JJ (1995) A carbon budget for forests of the conterminous United States. Ecol Appl 5:421–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wan HF, Guo ZX, Deng NR, Wen Y (2005) The atlas on soil resource and crop suitability in Guangdong. Guangdong Science and Technology Press, Guangzhou (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Feng Z, Ouyang Z (2001) Vegetation C storage and coverage of forest ecosystems in China. Chin J Appl Ecol 12:13–16 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wen Y, Huang NS, Kuang YQ (2010) Pattern and characteristics of soil organic C storage in mountain area of Guangdong Province. Chin J Basic Sci Eng 18:10–18 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodall CW, D’Amato AW, Bradford JB, Finley AO (2011) Effects of stand and inter-specific stocking on maximizing standing tree carbon stocks in the eastern United States. For Sci 57:365–378

    Google Scholar 

  • Ye J, She G (2010) Forest C dynamics in Guangdong province. J Nanjing For Univ (Nat Sci Ed) 34:7–12 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu ZY, Peng SL (1997) Ecological studies on vegetation rehabilitation of tropical and subtropical degraded ecosystems. Guangdong Science & Technology Press, Guangzhou

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu L, Ren G (2007) Recent progresses in studies of the terrestrial C storage change for the Past 20 k Year. Prog Geog 26:69–79 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L, Lin W, Wang Z, Yu N, Chen H (2010) Spatial distribution pattern of C storage in forest vegetation of Guangdong province. Ecol Environ Sci 19:1295–1299 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao M, Zhou GS (2004) Carbon storage of forest vegetation and its relationship with climatic factors. Sci Geogr Sin 24:50–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou C, Wei X, Zhou G, Yan J, Wang X, Wang C, Liu H, Tang X, Zhang Q (2008) Impacts of a large-scale reforestation program on C storage dynamics in Guangdong, China. Forest Ecol Manag 255:847–854

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05050206) and the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB421101). Dr. Hua Chen is supported in part by the National Science Foundation grant (DBI-0821649). The authors are indebted to Prof Bruce Jaffee for English polishing.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China

    Hai Ren, Linjun Li, Pingheng Li, Qianmei Zhang & Peixia Zhang

  2. University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL, 62703-5407, USA

    Hua Chen

  3. Guangdong Forest Resources Station, Guangdong Forestry Bureau, Guangzhou, 510173, China

    Changmou Hou

  4. Guangdong Institute of Soil and Eco-Environment, Guangzhou, 510650, China

    Hongfu Wan

Authors
  1. Hai Ren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hua Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Linjun Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Pingheng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Changmou Hou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hongfu Wan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Qianmei Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Peixia Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hua Chen.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Johan Six.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ren, H., Chen, H., Li, L. et al. Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon storage from 1992 to 2002 in forest ecosystems in Guangdong, Southern China. Plant Soil 363, 123–138 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1302-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1302-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation