Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Aboveground biomass and carbon stock in the largest sacred grove of Manipur, Northeast India

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Forestry Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aboveground biomass and carbon stock in the largest sacred grove of Manipur was estimated for trees with diameter >10 cm at 1.37 m height. The aboveground biomass, carbon stock, tree density and basal area of the sacred grove ranged from 962.94 to 1130.79 Mg ha−1, 481.47 to 565.40 Mg ha−1 C, 1240 to 1320 stem ha−1 and 79.43 to 90.64 m2 ha−1, respectively. Trees in diameter class of 30–40 cm contributed the highest proportion of aboveground biomass (22.50–33.73%). The aboveground biomass and carbon stock in research area were higher than reported for many tropical and temperate forests, suggesting a role of spiritual forest conservation for carbon sink management.

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

(Source: ICAR, Imphal)

Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baishya R, Barik SK, Upadhaya K (2009) Distribution pattern of aboveground biomass in natural and plantation forests of humid tropics in northeast India. Trop Ecol 50:295–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Binkley CS, Apps MJ, Dixon RK, Kauppi PE, Nilsson LO (1997) Sequestering carbon in natural forests. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 27(Special):S23–S45

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Borah N, Nath AJ, Das AK (2013) Aboveground biomass and carbon stocks of tree species in tropical forests of Cachar district, Assam North East India. Int J Ecol Environ Sci 39(2):97–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Borah M, Das D, Kalita J, Prasanna H, Borua D, Phukan B, Neog B (2015) Tree species composition, biomass and carbon stocks in two tropical forest of Assam. Biomass Bioenergy 78:25–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown S (1997) Estimating biomass and biomass change of tropical forests: a primer. FAO forestry paper—134. A Forest Resource Assessment Publication, Rome

  • Brown S, Gillespie AJR, Lugo AE (1989) Biomass estimation methods for tropical forests with application to forest inventory data. For Sci 35:881–902

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown JH, Gillooly JH, Allen AP, Savage VM, West GB (2004) Toward a metabolic theory of ecology. Ecology 85:1771–1789

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers JQ, Santos JD, Ribeiro RJ, Higuchi N (2001) Tree damage, allometric relationships, and above-ground net primary production in central Amazon forest. For Ecol Manag 152:73–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chave J, Reira B, Dubois MA (2001) Estimation of biomass in a neo-tropical forest of French Guiana: spatial and temporal variability. J Trop Ecol 17:79–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards PJ, Grub PJ (1977) Studies of mineral cycling in a montane rainforest in New Guinea. 1. The distribution of organic matter in the vegetation and soil. J Ecol 65:943–969

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs KG, Brown S, Niles JO, Foley JA (2007) Monitoring and estimating tropical forest carbon stocks: making REDD a reality. Environ Res Lett 2(4):1–13

    Google Scholar 

  • He B, Miao L, Cui X, Wu Z (2015) Carbon sequestration from China’s afforestation projects. Environ Earth Sci 74(7):5491–5499

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kandari LS, Bisht VK, Bhardwaj M, Thakur AK (2014) Conservation and management of sacred groves, myths and beliefs of tribal communities: a case study from north-India. Environ Syst Res 3:16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khumbongmayum AD, Khan ML, Tripathi RS (2004) Sacred groves of Manipur: ideal centres for biodiversity conservation. Curr Sci 87(4):430–433

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinge H, Herrera R (1978) Biomass studies in Amazon Caatinga forest in Southern Venezuela. 1. Standing crop of composite root mass in related stand. Trop Ecol 19:93–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Lebbie AR, Freudenberger MS (1996) Sacred groves in Africa: forest patches in transition. Forest patches in tropical landscapes. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 300–324

    Google Scholar 

  • Malhotra KC, Gokhale Y, Chatterjee S, Srivastava S (2007) Sacred groves in India. Aryan Books International, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Midgley GF, Bond WJ, Kapos VK, Ravilious C, Scharlemann JPW, Woodward FI (2010) Terrestrial carbon stocks and biodiversity: key knowledge gaps and some policy implications. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2:264–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montagnini F, Nair P (2004) Carbon sequestration: an underexploited environmental benefit of agroforestry systems. Agrofor Syst 61:281–295

    Google Scholar 

  • Nath AJ, Lal R, Das AK (2015) Grains for ecosystem carbon management in North East India. Curr Sci 109:1187–1189

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogawa H, Yoda K, Ogino K, Kira T (1965) Comparative ecological studies on three main types of forest vegetation in Thailand. II. Plant biomas. Nat Life Southeast Asia 4:49–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Ormsby AA (2011) The impacts of global and national policy on the management and conservation of sacred groves of India. Hum Ecol 39:783–793

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ormsby AA (2012) Cultural and conservation values of sacred forest in Ghana. In: Pungetti G, Oviedo G, Hooke D (eds) Sacred species and sites: advances in biocultural conservation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Pala NA, Negi AK, Gokhale Y, Aziem S, Vikrant KK, Todaria NP (2013) Carbon stock estimation for tree species of SemMukhem sacred forest in Garhwal Himalaya, India. J For Res 24(3):457–460

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pan YD, Birdsey RA, Fang JY et al (2011) A large and persistent carbon sink in the world’s forests. Science 333(6045):988–993

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parratt SN (1980) Religion of Manipur. Firma Klmpvt, Calcutta

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravindranath NH, Somashekhar BS, Gadgil M (1997) Carbon flow in Indian forests. Clim Change 35:297–320

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Segura M, Kanninen M (2005) Allometric models for tree volume and total aboveground biomass in a tropical humid forest in Costa Rica. Biotropica 37(1):2–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh JS, Singh SP (1992) Forest of Himalaya: structure, functioning and impact of man. GyanodayaPrakashan, Nainital

    Google Scholar 

  • UNFCCC (1997) Kyoto protocol to the United Nations framework convention on climate change. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng

  • Van der Werf GR, Morton DC, Defries RS, Oliver JG, Kasibhatta PS, Jackson RB, Collatz GJ, Randerson J (2009) CO2 emissions from forest loss. Nat Geosci 2:737–738

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yadava PS (2010) Soil and vegetation carbon pool and sequestration in the forest ecosystems of Manipur, NE India. In: Qasim SZ, Goel M (eds) CO2 sequestration technologies for clean energy. Daya publication house, New Delhi, pp 163–170

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi India. We express our sincere gratitude to DST, New Delhi India. We gratefully acknowledge the President of the Phayeng Forest Committee and local people of Phayeng, Manipu, Northeast India for their cooperation during our fieldwork.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar, 788011, India

    Aahen Chanu Waikhom & Arun Jyoti Nath

  2. Department of Life Sciences, Manipur University, Imphal, 795003, India

    Aahen Chanu Waikhom & P. S. Yadava

Authors
  1. Aahen Chanu Waikhom
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Arun Jyoti Nath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. S. Yadava
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Arun Jyoti Nath.

Additional information

Project funding: This study was funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi India.

The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com

Corresponding editor: Yu Lei.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Waikhom, A.C., Nath, A.J. & Yadava, P.S. Aboveground biomass and carbon stock in the largest sacred grove of Manipur, Northeast India. J. For. Res. 29, 425–428 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0439-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0439-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation