Forest carbon stocks and evaluating CO2 sequestration in the mixed broadleaf and coniferous of Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park, Lam Dong province

Abstract

Forests are the largest terrestrial carbon sink, accounting for more than 800 billion cubic meters of global carbon. The biomass and carbon dynamics of tropical forests are considered as important parameters for assessing the carbon cycle and climate change. Study on forest carbon stock and evaluating CO₂ sequestration in the mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest of Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park used R analysis software and the biomass estimation method of Chave et al. (2005) published for tropical mixed forest, from which to estimate the forest carbon value in the study area. The study results showed that: Cluster analysis of topographic variables including elevation, slope, aspect and convexity in each quadrat of 0.04 ha identified 04 main terrain types in the Bidoup sample plot: Slope, Gully, Valley and Ridge. The study area had an AGB density of 524.6 Mg/ha, a TBD density of 612.4 Mg/ha, a carbon density of 289.7 MgC/ha, and Fagaceae was the highest AGB and TBD. According to ANOVA analysis, AGB did not differ significantly among the four habitats in the Bidoup plot (P-value > 0.05). However, stem density and basal area varied remarkably among the four habitats (P-value < 0.05). The total carbon stock was estimated at 1,063.1 tCO₂/ha, with a equivalent value to 122,469.120 VND/ha. Hence, the study provided CO₂ emission data to determine forest carbon credits in emission reduction and to obtain financial resources from forest environmental services. This is also a scientific basis for further studies on appropriate measures for effective and sustainable forest management.