Influence of Anthropogenic Activities on Forest Carbon Stocks—A Case Study from Gori Valley, Western Himalaya

Abstract

Carbon stock assessment in various ecosystems is vital for monitoring the health of these ecosystems and national accounting for the United Nations convention on climate change. The influence of various anthropogenic drivers on carbon stock in different ecosystems has not been examined comprehensively. This study aims to determine the impact of anthropogenic pressures (lopping, cutting, grazing) on soil physico-chemical properties and carbon stock in four temperate broadleaf forests dominated by different species of oak, viz., Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora), Rianj oak (Quercus lanuginosa), Moru oak (Quercus floribunda) and Kharsu oak (Quercus semecarpifolia) along an elevation gradient from 1700–3000 m asl in Gori valley, western Himalaya. Biomass data were collected from 120 quadrats of 10 × 10 m size at three distinct altitudes (4 forest sites × 3 altitudes × 10 quadrats) and analysed for carbon stock, whereas soil samples were randomly collected in triplicate from three depths of each altitude of the forest site and further analysed for their physico-chemical properties. A total of 767 individual trees with a diameter of ≥31 cm were measured at twelve sites and standing biomass was estimated following the growing stock volume equations. Mean carbon stock was highest in Moru oak (396.6 ± 29.5 Mg C ha−1) and lowest in Banj oak forest (189.3 ± 48.6 Mg C ha−1). We also found soil to be the largest pool of forest carbon (43.0–59.7%) followed by aboveground biomass (31.5–45.0%), belowground biomass (8.4–11.7%) and litter (0.4–0.5%). The basal area showed significant effect on altitude and carbon stock, whereas disturbance showed significant (p < 0.05) negative correlation with the total carbon stock. Soil nitrogen exhibited a significant positive correlation (R2 = 0.60) with the basal area, indicating that nitrogen enhances tree growth and forest carbon stock. However, anthropogenic disturbance showed a significant negative impact on the basal area, soil nutrients and carbon stock of oak forests. This concludes that forest structure, anthropogenic pressure and soil parameters contribute to the carbon stock of the area. Considering the significance of these overexploited oak forests, it is recommended to conserve the old-growth forest species in the study area, since they have the highest carbon accumulation potential.

Socio-ecological system of the mountainous region: A case study from Georgia

“…Mountain ecosystems are important repositories of terrestrial biodiversity and play a key role in influencing the socio-ecological and cultural attributes of human societies including livelihood activities of traditional societies living as well as those associated with these forests (Karki et al, 2017;Awasthi et al, 2022). Anthropogenic pressures have created major threats to biodiversity and the environment (Bisht et al, 2022) which cause an increase in CO in the 2 atmosphere. The overexploitation of natural resources has created a big gap between the demand and supply of natural resources.…”

Assessment of Forest Ecological Security in China Based on DPSIRM Model: Taking 11 Provincial Administrative Regions along the Yangtze River Basin as Examples

“…S1 reflects the extent of coverage and actual occupancy of forest resources. Growing stock (S2) refers to the total stock of all trees on a certain range of land and is an important indicator of forest ecosystem health and productivity [42]. The amount of water resources per capita (S3) refers to the amount of water resources held by each person in the region, on average, according to the population, reflecting the abundance of forest water resources in each region.…”

Structure and Carbon Capture of a Temperate Mixed Forest across Altitudinal Gradients in Northern Mexico

“…C storage and C emissions are unique to tree species and age, type of soil, altitude, and slope, therefore these parameters vary between tropical, temperate, or boreal forests, as well as between natural and managed forests [5]. C storage variations with altitude are crucial in the context of global warming because of their association with temperature [10,[17][18][19][20].…”