Carbon storing capacity of Masson pine forests is influenced by type and location

What is it about?

The amount of carbon that forests can hold depends on many factors. This includes the type of trees they consist of and their location. The Masson pine forests of southern China are manmade forests planted between 1990 and 1992. Many of these forests are dominated by Masson pines. However, the subsequent introduction of other trees turned some Masson pine forests into mixed forests. In this study, researchers measured the carbon storage of Masson pine forests in China's Hunan and Guangxi provinces. Mixed forests have more variety in plant species compared to Masson pine “pure” forests. Understanding the effects of species variety on carbon storage was one of the main objectives of this study. The other main objective was to understand the effect of geographical location on carbon storage. This is because temperature and rainfall are important factors that control the carbon storage of a forest.

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Photo by Jachan DeVol on Unsplash

Photo by Jachan DeVol on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Forests capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. If released, this carbon can accelerate global warming. Therefore, maximizing the carbon storage of forests can help mitigate climate change. Understanding which factors influence carbon storage capacity is essential for forest management. The findings of the study suggest that Masson pine forests store between 88.92 and 149.41 megagrams of carbon per hectare. Mixed forests are more efficient in storing carbon. Carbon storage is 8.43% higher for mixed forests compared to Masson pine pure forests per unit land area. The increased efficiency is due to the more effective use of space and sunlight by trees in mixed forests. Mixed forests have many canopy layers, each competing for resources. KEY TAKEAWAY: This study shows how variations in latitude of Masson pine forests can affect their carbon storage ability. Based on the findings, carbon storage decreases northward. An increase in latitude by one degree corresponds to a reduction in carbon storage by 8.26 megagrams per hectare. This can be attributed to temperature and rainfall decreasing with increasing latitude, which hinders vegetation growth.