Carbon sink and shade potential of Trichilia emetica in semi-arid region of Tanzania

Abstract

Trichilia emetica species have been used for urban greening in cities for their ecosystem services potential. Despite potential, there is paucity of information on the species capacity for carbon sequestration and shade characteristics that are among important features for urban trees. Based on the 328 trees measured in Dodoma, the study assessed the extent of carbon sequestration and shade as expressed by crown diameter as well as developing allometric equation. The average carbon sequestration has shown to be 0.01852 tons with average crown diameter of 6.60 m. The validated allometric equation has shown that the square of diameter at breast height and height as important variables explaining the carbon sequestration. The results imply that T. emetica is among good choice of species requiring conservation for semiarid regions like Dodoma as it possesses qualities that are useful for urban greening.The developed allometric equation can be applied elsewhere in semi-arid regions for carbon sequestration estimation of T. emetica. However, future studies should explore on crown diameter allometry as well as the influence of tree spacing on carbon sequestration and shade provision to inform on better urban management for the species.

Keywords

• Allometric model
• Sequestration
• UDOM
• Urban greening
• Crown diameter
• Trichilia emetica