Assessment of Total Carbon Stock in Swietenia macrophylla Woodlot at Jhenaidah District in Bangladesh

Abstract

Woodlot plantations are supposed to have a massive outlook in carbon sequestration. Presence of large area woodlot plantations in Bangladesh would store a significant quantity of carbon. The purpose of this study was to determine the carbon stocks in woodlot plantations (Swietenia macrophylla) in Jhenaidah district, Bangladesh. Sixty sample plots of woodlot plantations were purposively selected from three upazilla (Kotchandpur, Kaligong and Moheshpur) of Jhenaidah district. The plot size was 10×10 m. Every individual tree present in the sampling plot was identified up to special level. Diameter at breast height and total tree height were measured for all individual trees in each sample plot. The estimated average tree density was 1340 ± 104.24 stems ha-1ranging between 800 and 2400 stems ha-1. The estimated mean DBH and tree height were 19.52 cm and 12.57 m respectively. The total biomass in Mahogany (Switenia macrophylla) woodlot plantations ranged between 52.48 and 824.44 Mg ha-1 and the basal area in woodlot plantations ranged between 9.92 m2ha-1 and 86.21 m2ha-1. The average total biomass was 287.86 ± 22.64 Mg ha-1 and average basal area was 37.98 ± 2.31 m2ha-1. In this study, the average carbon stock in Mahagony plantation was estimated to 143.93 ±11.32 Mg ha-1 ranging between 26.24 Mg ha-1 and 412.22 Mg ha-1. Three allometric models were developed and validated with equal strength (R2 0.97–0.98) using generalized linear regression. Woodlot plantations in Bangladesh can play a vital role in the UNFCCC’s carbon mitigation and adaptation mechanism. So, the long-term sustainability of woodlot plantations must be addressed.