Carbon Sequestration in Resin-Tapped Slash Pine (<i>Pinus elliottii</i> Engelm.) Subtropical Plantations
Kelly Cristine da Silva Rodrigues-Honda,
Camila Fernanda de Oliveira Junkes,
Júlio César de Lima,
Vinicius de Abreu Waldow,
Fernando Souza Rocha,
Tanise Luisa Sausen,
Cimélio Bayer,
Edson Talamini,
Arthur Germano Fett-Neto
Affiliations
Kelly Cristine da Silva Rodrigues-Honda
Center for Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), C.P. 15005, Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, Brazil
Camila Fernanda de Oliveira Junkes
Center for Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), C.P. 15005, Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, Brazil
Júlio César de Lima
Center for Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), C.P. 15005, Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, Brazil
Vinicius de Abreu Waldow
Cidade Universitária, Petróleo Brasileiro—CENPES, Rio de Janeiro CEP 21941-915, Brazil
Fernando Souza Rocha
Cerrados Natural Resources Management and Conservation Unit, Brazilian Agricultural Corporation (EMBRAPA), BR 020—Rodovia Brasília-Fortaleza, Planaltina, Brasília CEP 73310970, Brazil
Tanise Luisa Sausen
Plant Ecology and Systematics Laboratory, Regional Integrated University of Alto Uruguai and Missões (URI), Erechim CEP 99700-000, Brazil
Cimélio Bayer
Soil Department, Faculty of Agronomy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre CEP 91540-000, Brazil
Edson Talamini
Interdisciplinary Center for Studies and Research, Bioeconomics Research Group, Department of Economics and International Relations—DERI, Faculty of Economics—FCE, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul—UFRGS, Agribusiness—CEPAN, 7712—Bairro Agronomia, Porto Alegre 91540-000, Brazil
Arthur Germano Fett-Neto
Center for Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), C.P. 15005, Porto Alegre CEP 91501-970, Brazil
Every year more than 150,000 tons of resin used in a myriad of industrial applications are produced by Brazilian plantations of Pinus elliottii Engelm. (slash pine), which are also used for timber. A pine tree can be tapped for resin over a period of several years. Resin is a complex mixture of terpenes, which are carbon-rich molecules, presumably influencing pine plantation carbon budgets. A total of 270 trees (overall mean DBH of 22.93 ± 0.11 cm) of 14-, 24-, and 26-year-old stands had their C content measured. Three different treatments (intact, wounded panels, and wounded + chemically stimulated panels, 30 trees each) were applied per site. Above- and belowground biomass, as well as resin yield, were quantified for two consecutive years. Data were statistically evaluated using normality distribution tests, analyses of variance, and mean comparison tests (p ≤ 0.05). The highest resin production per tree was recorded in the chemically stimulated 14-year-old stand. Tree dry wood biomass, a major stock of carbon retained in cell wall polysaccharides, ranged from 245.69 ± 11.73 to 349.99 ± 16.73 kg among the plantations. Variations in carbon concentration ranged from 43% to 50% with the lowest percentages in underground biomass. There was no significant difference in lignin concentrations. Soils were acidic (pH 4.3 ± 0.10–5.83 ± 0.06) with low C (from 0.05% to 1.4%). Significantly higher C stock values were recorded in pine biomass compared to those reported for temperate zones. Resin-tapping biomass yielded considerable annual increments in C stocks and should be included as a relevant component in C sequestration assessments of planted pine forests.
