Carbon Stocks along an Altitudinal Gradient in Gera Moist Evergreen Afromontane forest, Southwest Ethiopia
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Date
2017-06
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Addis Ababa Universty
Abstract
Forest plays an important role in the global carbon cycle as carbon sinks of the terrestrial ecosystem. Carbon stock estimation enables us to understand the current status of carbon stocks and to derive its near future changes. The presence of CO2 as main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, its potentials to influence the global climate, its long residence time in the atmosphere and potential implementation of the Kyoto Protocol are the reasons why carbon cycle drew much attention at global level. This study was carried out to estimate the variation of carbon stock along altitudinal gradient in the Gera Moist Evergreen Afromontane forest, Southwest Ethiopia. The data were collected by using stratified systematic sampling method with a nested plot approach. The sampling sites were selected by dropping a regular interval of 100 m elevation gradient. From each sampling site three quadrats of 100 m apart each other were established. A total of 30 rectangular quadrats having a size of 20mx100m were used to collect data. Within these quadrats five 1m2 subplots four at the corners and one at the centre were used to collect soil, litter and non-tree vegetation samples. The biomasses of trees in the Forest were calculated by using a model developed by Chave et al. (2014). The mean total carbon density of the forest was 440.71 (t ha-1). This is equivalent to 1617.41 t ha-1 of CO2 gas. The mean carbon stocks at the higher altitude (2334 -2539 m a.s.l.) were estimated as greater in all carbon pools. The carbon density of Gera Moist Evergreen Afromontane forest can be considered as medium when compared with other studies done elsewhere in the tropics.
Key Words: Moist Evergreen Afromontane forest, Biomass, Model, Carbon stock, Forest strata, altitudinal gradient, Anthropogenic disturbance
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Keywords
Moist Evergreen Afromontane forest, Biomass, Model, Carbon stock, Forest strata, Altitudinal gradient, Anthropogenic disturbance