Aboveground carbon sequestration of Cunninghamia lanceolata forests: Magnitude and drivers

Chen Wang; Shuguang Liu; Yu Zhu; Andrew R. Smith; Ying Ning; Deming Deng

Forest Ecosystems (Jan 2024)

Aboveground carbon sequestration of Cunninghamia lanceolata forests: Magnitude and drivers

Chen Wang,
Shuguang Liu,
Yu Zhu,
Andrew R. Smith,
Ying Ning,
Deming Deng

Affiliations

Chen Wang: National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Conservation and Restoration in Dongting Lake Basin, Ministry of Natural Resources, Changsha 410007, China; College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Shuguang Liu: National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; Corresponding author. College of Ecology and the Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
Yu Zhu: National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Conservation and Restoration in Dongting Lake Basin, Ministry of Natural Resources, Changsha 410007, China; College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Andrew R. Smith: School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
Ying Ning: National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Conservation and Restoration in Dongting Lake Basin, Ministry of Natural Resources, Changsha 410007, China; College of Forestry, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Deming Deng: Hunan Prospecting Designing & Research General Institute for Agriculture, Forestry & Industry, Changsha 410007, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11
p. 100165

Abstract

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Understanding the spatial variation, temporal changes, and their underlying driving forces of carbon sequestration in various forests is of great importance for understanding the carbon cycle and carbon management options. How carbon density and sequestration in various Cunninghamia lanceolata forests, extensively cultivated for timber production in subtropical China, vary with biodiversity, forest structure, environment, and cultural factors remain poorly explored, presenting a critical knowledge gap for realizing carbon sequestration supply potential through management. Based on a large-scale database of 449 permanent forest inventory plots, we quantified the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of aboveground carbon densities and carbon accumulation rates in Cunninghamia lanceolate forests in Hunan Province, China, and attributed the contributions of stand structure, environmental, and management factors to the heterogeneity using quantile age-sequence analysis, partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM), and hot-spot analysis. The results showed lower values of carbon density and sequestration on average, in comparison with other forests in the same climate zone (i.e., subtropics), with pronounced spatial and temporal variability. Specifically, quantile regression analysis using carbon accumulation rates along an age sequence showed large differences in carbon sequestration rates among underperformed and outperformed forests (0.50 and 1.80 Mg⋅ha−1·yr−1). PLS-PM demonstrated that maximum DBH and stand density were the main crucial drivers of aboveground carbon density from young to mature forests. Furthermore, species diversity and geo-topographic factors were the significant factors causing the large discrepancy in aboveground carbon density change between low- and high-carbon-bearing forests. Hotspot analysis revealed the importance of culture attributes in shaping the geospatial patterns of carbon sequestration. Our work highlighted that retaining large-sized DBH trees and increasing shade-tolerant tree species were important to enhance carbon sequestration in C. lanceolate forests.

Published in Forest Ecosystems

ISSN: 2095-6355 (Print); 2197-5620 (Online)
Publisher: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Country of publisher: China
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/forest-ecosystems/

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