Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Dynamics of forest biomass carbon stocks from 1949 to 2008 in Henan Province, east-central China

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

Abstract

We estimated forest biomass carbon storage and carbon density from 1949 to 2008 based on nine consecutive forest inventories in Henan Province, China. According to the definitions of the forest inventory, Henan forests were categorized into five groups: forest stands, economic forests, bamboo forests, open forests, and shrub forests. We estimated biomass carbon in forest stands for each inventory period by using the continuous biomass expansion factor method. We used the mean biomass density method to estimate carbon stocks in economic, bamboo, open and shrub forests. Over the 60-year period, total forest vegetation carbon storage increased from 34.6 Tg (1 Tg = 1 × 1012 g) in 1949 to 80.4 Tg in 2008, a net vegetation carbon increase of 45.8 Tg. By stand type, increases were 39.8 Tg in forest stands, 5.5 Tg in economic forests, 0.6 Tg in bamboo forests, and −0.1 Tg in open forests combine shrub forests. Carbon storage increased at an average annual rate of 0.8 Tg carbon over the study period. Carbon was mainly stored in young and middle-aged forests, which together accounted for 70–88% of the total forest carbon storage in different inventory periods. Broad-leaved forest was the main contributor to forest carbon sequestration. From 1998 to 2008, during implementation of national afforestation and reforestation programs, the carbon storage of planted forest increased sharply from 3.9 to 37. 9 Tg. Our results show that with the growth of young planted forest, Henan Province forests realized large gains in carbon sequestration over a 60-year period that was characterized in part by a nation-wide tree planting program.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Deng L, Shangguan ZP (2013) Carbon storage dynamics through forest restoration from 1999 to 2009 in China: a case study in Shaanxi province. J Food Agric Environ 1:1363–1369

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon RK, Brown S, Houghton RA, Solomon AM, Trexler MC, Wisniewski J (1994) Carbon pools and flux of global forest ecosystems. Science 263:185–190

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Durán SM, Sánchez-Azofeifa G, Rios RS, Gianoli E (2015) The relative importance of climate, stand variables and liana abundance for carbon storage in tropical forests. Global Ecol Biogeogr 24:939–949

    Article  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 JY, Wang GG, Liu GH, Xu SL (1998) Forest biomass of China: an estimate based on the biomass volume relationship. Ecol Appl 8:1084–1091

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang JY, Chen AP, Peng CH, Zhao SQ, Ci L (2001) Changes in forest biomass carbon storage in China between 1949 and 1998. Science 292:2320–2322

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feng ZW, Wang XK, Wu G, Liu GH (1992) Structure and function of agroforestry systems. Science and Technology of China Press, Beijing, pp 120–125 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Guan JH, Zhou HS, Deng L, Zhang JG, Du S (2015) Forest biomass carbon storage from multiple inventories over the past 30 years in Gansu Province, China: implications from the age structure of major forest types. J For Res 26:887–896

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo ZD, Hu HF, Li P, Li NY, Fang JY (2013) Spatio-temporal changes in biomass carbon sinks in China’s forests from 1977 to 2008. Sci China Life Sci 56:661–671

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henan Province Soil Survey Office (2004) Henan soil. China Agriculture Press, Beijing, pp 56–70 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Holdaway RJ, McNeill SJ, Mason NWH, Carswell FE (2014) Propagating uncertainty in plot-based estimates of forest carbon stock and carbon stock change. Ecosystem 17:627–640

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang ZH, Peng ZH (2001) Wood properties of the global important tree species. Science Press, Beijing, pp 12–80 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohl M, Lasco R, Cifuentes M, Jonsson O, Korhonen KT, Mundhenk P, Navar JD, Stinson G (2015) Changes in forest production, biomass and carbon: results from the 2015 UN FAO Global Forest Resource Assessment. For Ecol Manag 352:21–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li RT (1999) Agricultural sustainable development in Henan Province. Elephant Press, Zhengzhou, pp 146–163 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li HK, Lei YC (2010) Estimation and evaluation of forest biomass carbon storage in China. Chinese Forestry Press, Beijing, p 42 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li YL, Liang H, Zhang BS (2011) Factor decomposition and correlation analysis on the carbon emissions in Henan Province. J Henan Agric Univ 5:605–608 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li SD, Hu SP, Tang XM (2012) China Ecological Status Report 2012 Dynamic Change of Forest Carbon Stocks. Science Press, Beijing, p 235 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • McKenney DW, Yemshanov D, Fox G, Ramlal E (2004) Cost estimates for carbon sequestration from fast growing poplar plantations in Canada. For Policy Econ 6:345–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan YD, Birdsey RA, Fang JY, Houghton R, Kauppi PE, Kurz WA, Phillips OL, Shvidenko A, Lewis SL, Canadell JG, Ciais P, Jackson RB, Pacala SW, McGuire AD, Piao SL, Rautiainen A, Sitch S, Hayes D (2011) A large and persistent carbon sink in the world’s forests. Science 333:988–993

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Piao SL, Fang JY, Zhu B, Tan K (2005) Forest biomass carbon stocks in China over the past 2 decades: estimation based on integrated inventory and satellite data. J Geophys Res Biogeosci 110:G01006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poorter L, Sande MTVD, Thompson J, Arets EJMM, Alarcón A, Álvarez-Sánchez J, Ascarrunz N, Balvanera P (2015) Diversity enhances carbon storage in tropical forests. Global Ecol Biogeogr 24:1314–1328

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ren H, Chen H, Li LJ, Li PH, Hou CM, Wan HF, Zhang QM, Zhang PX (2013) Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon storage from 1992 to 2002 in forest ecosystems in Guangdong, southern China. Plant Soil 363:123–138

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ren H, Li L, Liu Q, Wang X, Li Y, Hui DF, Jian SG, Wang J, Yang H, Lu HF, Zhou GY, Tang XL, Zhang QM, Wang D, Yuan LL, Chen XB (2014) Spatial and temporal patterns of carbon storage in forest ecosystems on Hainan Island southern China. PLoS ONE 9(9):e108163

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Streets DG, Jiang KJ, Hu XL, Sinton JE, Zhang XQ, Xu DY, Jacobson MZ, Hansen JE (2001) Climate change—Recent reductions in China’s greenhouse gas emissions. Science 294:1835–1837

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sylvie D, Hou YZ, Yang WY (2009) Forest management policies and resource balance in China: an assessment of the current situation. J Environ Dev 18:17–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang QJ (1999) Henan Cunninghamia lanceolata. The Yellow River Water Conservancy Press, Zhengzhou, pp 10–398 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang PQ, Ding ZS (1985) Wood Chemistry. Chinese Forestry Press, Beijing, pp 54–86 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang XK, Feng ZW, Ouyang ZY (2001) Vegetation carbon storage and density of forest ecosystems in China. Chin J Appl Ecol 12:13–16 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YF, Liu L, Li ZC, Shanguan ZP (2015) Carbon storage and carbon density of forest vegetation in Luoyang, the Loess hilly area of Western Henan Province. Acta Pratacult Sin 24:1–11 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeng WS (2005) Research on forest biomass and productivity in Yunnan. Cent South For Invent Plan 24(1–3):13 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang XP, Wang MB, Liang XM (2009) Quantitative classification and carbon density of the forest vegetation in Lüliang mountains of China. Plant Ecol 201:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao TS (1989) Study on the nutrient cycling of a compound ecosystem of agroforestry I. Study on the biomass of polar in the farmland shelterbelt forest. Rural Ecol Environ 2:1–5 (in Chinese)

  • Zhao TS, Guang ZY, Zhao YM, Liu GW (1999) Study on biomass and productivity of Larix kaempferi plantation. J Henan Agri Univ 33:350–353 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Yanfang Wang & Zhouping Shangguan

  2. College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan, China

    Yanfang Wang & Ling Liu

Authors
  1. Yanfang Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ling Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhouping Shangguan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhouping Shangguan.

Additional information

Project funding: This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0501605), the National Sci-Tech Basic Program of China (2014FY210100), the National Natural Science foundation of China (31200332), and the University Youth Teacher Training Program by Education Department of Henan Province (2016GGJS-062).

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

Corresponding editor: Hu Yanbo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, Y., Liu, L. & Shangguan, Z. Dynamics of forest biomass carbon stocks from 1949 to 2008 in Henan Province, east-central China. J. For. Res. 29, 439–448 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0459-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0459-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation