Cao Zongying, Zhang Junzhou, Gou Xiaohua, Wang Yuetong, Sun Qipeng, Yang Jiqin, Manzanedo Rubén D, Pederson Neil
Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; Gansu Liancheng Forest Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730333, China.
Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; Gansu Liancheng Forest Ecosystem Field Observation and Research Station, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730333, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Dec 20;905:167168. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167168. Epub 2023 Sep 18.
Arid forest lands account for 6 % of the world's forest area, but their carbon density and carbon storage capacity have rarely been assessed. Forest inventories provide estimates of forest stock and biomass carbon density, improve our understanding of the carbon cycle, and help us develop sustainable forest management policies in the face of climate change. Here, we carried out three forest inventories at five-year intervals from 2006 to 2016 in 104 permanent sample plots covering the Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia) distribution in the north slope of Qilian Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Results shows that mean biomasses for Qinghai spruce were 133.80, 144.89, and 157.01 Mg ha while biomass carbon densities were 65.52, 70.92, and 76.88 Mg C ha, in 2006, 2011, and 2016, respectively. This shows an increase in the Qinghai spruce carbon density of 17.34 % from 2006 to 2016. Both the precipitation and temperature play crucial roles on the increase of aboveground carbon density. The average carbon densities were different among forests with different ages and were higher for older forests. Our results show that the carbon sequestration rate for Qinghai spruce in the Qilian Mountains is significantly higher than the average rates of national forest parks in China, suggesting that this spruce forest has the potential to sequester a significant amount of carbon despite the general harsh growing conditions of cold and arid ecoregions. Our findings provide important insights that are helpful for the assessment of forest carbon for cold and arid lands.
干旱森林地区占世界森林面积的6%，但其碳密度和碳储存能力很少得到评估。森林资源清查提供了森林蓄积量和生物量碳密度的估计值，增进了我们对碳循环的理解，并帮助我们在面对气候变化时制定可持续的森林管理政策。在此，我们于2006年至2016年期间，每隔五年在青藏高原东北部祁连山北坡104个覆盖青海云杉（Picea crassifolia）分布的固定样地中进行了三次森林资源清查。结果表明，2006年、2011年和2016年青海云杉的平均生物量分别为133.80、144.89和157.01 Mg/ha，而生物量碳密度分别为65.52、70.92和76.88 Mg C/ha。这表明2006年至2016年青海云杉碳密度增加了17.34%。降水和温度对地上碳密度的增加都起着至关重要的作用。不同年龄的森林平均碳密度不同，老龄森林的碳密度更高。我们的结果表明，祁连山青海云杉的碳固存率显著高于中国国家森林公园的平均水平，这表明尽管寒冷干旱生态区的生长条件普遍恶劣，但这片云杉林仍有潜力固存大量碳。我们的研究结果提供了重要的见解，有助于评估寒冷干旱地区的森林碳储量。
