Forests are an important natural ‘brake’ on climate change sequester and store more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem. The main carbon pools in forest ecosystems are the living biomass of trees and understorey vegetation and the dead mass of litter, woody debris and soil organic matter. The carbon stored in the aboveground living biomass of trees is typically the largest pool. Thus, estimating aboveground forest biomass carbon is the most critical step in quantifying carbon stocks and fluxes from forests.
India is a large developing country known for its diverse forest ecosystems and is also a mega-biodiversity country. Forest ecosystems in India are critical for biodiversity, watershed protection, and livelihoods of indigenous and rural communities. The National Communication of the Government of India to the UNFCC has reported that the forest sector is a marginal source of CO2 emissions. India has formulated and implemented a number of policies and programmes aimed at forest and biodiversity conservation, afforestation and reforestation. All forest policies and programmes have implications for carbon sink and forest management.
A number of studies highlighting carbon stocks of India forests at macrolevel utilizing Remote Sensing & Geographic Information System techniques have gained momentum. However, Carbon stock at micro level is still lacking and in view of this, the present study is an attempt to assess the vegetation, biomass and carbon stock of three ranges of Dehra Dun Forest Division.
Table of Contents
Chapter – I INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 CLIMATE CHANGE – THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS
1.3 THE INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE POLICY REGIME
1.4 ROLE OF FORESTS IN THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE
1.5 METHODS TO ASSESS CARBON FLOWS OF FORESTS
1.6 CARBON AND IT’S CHANGES
1.7 CARBON SEQUESTRATION AS A CLIMATE MITIGATION OPTION
1.8 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
1.9 FOREST BIOMASS
1.10 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING
1.11 CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND STORAGE IN FORESTS
1.12 FOREST AND SOIL ORGANIC CARBON
1.13 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Chapter – II STUDY SITE
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 DEVELOPMENT OF FORESTS IN DEHRA DUN
2.3 GEOLOGY
2.4 CLIMATE
2.5 SOIL
2.6 VEGETATION
Chapter – III SOIL
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 METHODOLOGY
3.2.1 Physico-Chemical Analysis of Soil
3.2.2 Mechanical analysis of Soil (Texture Analysis)
3.2.3 Soil Organic Carbon Estimation Methodology
3.3 RESULTS
3.3.1 Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Soils
3.3.2 Mechanical Characteristics of Soils
3.4 DISCUSSION
Chapter – IV Plant Diversity
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 METHODOLOGY
4.3 RESULTS
4.4 DISCUSSION
Chapter – V Phytosociology
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 METHODOLOGY
5.2.1 Important Value Index (IVI)
5.2.2 Diversity Indices and Evenness
5.2.3 Dominance – Diversity Curves (D –D curves)
5.2.4 TWINSPAN
5.3 RESULTS
5.3.1 Herb Layer
5.3.2 Shrub Layer
5.3.3 Tree Layer
5.3.4 Diversity and Related Measurements
5.3.5 Dominance-Diversity (D-D) Curve
5.3.6 TWINSPAN
5.4 DISCUSSION
Chapter – VI Biomass and Carbon Pool
6.1 INTRODUCTION
6.2 MATERIALS AND METHODS
6.2.1 Remote Sensing for Forest Type Mapping
6.2.2. Methodology for Biomass and Carbon Estimation
6.3 RESULTS – BIOMASS AND CARBON CONTENT
6.3.1 Barkot Range
6.3.2 Lachchiwala Range
6.3.3 Thano Range
6.3.4 : Forest Type wise Total Biomass and Carbon Content
6.3.5 Contribution of Shorea robusta in Total Biomass of Different Forest Types.
6.3.6 Carbon Pool
6.4 DISCUSSION
Research Objectives and Topics
The primary research objective of this thesis is to comprehensively assess the plant diversity, biomass, and carbon pool within natural forest ecosystems in the Doon Valley, utilizing advanced geospatial technology to bridge the gap in micro-level data regarding carbon stocks.
- Floristic diversity and vegetation structure analysis.
- Estimation of biomass availability across different forest types.
- Assessment of soil organic carbon content.
- Application of geospatial tools (Remote Sensing and GIS) for forest mapping.
- Quantification of the total carbon pool within the study area.
Book Excerpt
1.1 INTRODUCTION
A forest is defined as an ecosystem or assemblage of ecosystems dominated by trees and other woody vegetation. The living parts of a forest include trees, shrubs, vines, grasses and other herbaceous (non-woody) plants, mosses, algae, fungi, insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and microorganisms living on the plants and animals and in the soil. These interact with one another and with the non-living part of the environment - including the soil, water, and minerals, to make up what we know as a forest. Plant communities covering large areas of the globe provide goods and services like, carbon-sink, oxygen-release, habitat, and soil-retention functions. Therefore, Earth's forests constitute one of the most important aspects of our biosphere. They provide many of the benefits like habitat, quality water, recreation, climatic amelioration and wood products. The plants and animals that make up a forest are inter-dependent and often essential to its integrity.
A plant community is a complex assemblage of plant species which interact with each other as well as with the elements of their environment and is distinct from adjacent assemblages. A plant community is not a static entity rather it may vary in appearance and species composition from location to location and also over time. This overall appearance is created by the particular species present, as well as their size, abundance, and distribution relative to one another. Community structure is inclusive of all plants that occur in the tree, sapling and shrub, and herbs. Community structure and distribution are dictated by the delicate balance of environmental factors: soils, climate, topography, geography, fire, time, and humans and other living beings.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter – I INTRODUCTION: Provides a foundational overview of forest ecosystems, their role in global carbon sequestration, and a review of existing literature on biodiversity and carbon storage.
Chapter – II STUDY SITE: Describes the geographical, geological, and climatic conditions of the Doon Valley, specifically focusing on the Barkot, Lachchiwala, and Thano forest ranges.
Chapter – III SOIL: Details the methodologies for soil analysis, including physicochemical properties and organic carbon estimation, and presents the results of these analyses across study sites.
Chapter – IV Plant Diversity: Discusses the floristic composition of the study area, documenting the diversity of herbs, shrubs, and trees, and examines taxonomic ranks and species richness.
Chapter – V Phytosociology: Analyzes the community structure of vegetation using quantitative methods such as the Importance Value Index (IVI) and TWINSPAN, exploring species dominance and distribution.
Chapter – VI Biomass and Carbon Pool: Details the quantitative assessment of forest biomass and carbon storage using remote sensing and volume equations, providing a comparative analysis of different forest types.
Keywords
Doon Valley, Plant Diversity, Forest Biomass, Carbon Pool, Geospatial Technology, Remote Sensing, GIS, Shorea robusta, Phytosociology, Carbon Sequestration, Forest Ecology, Vegetation Mapping, Soil Organic Carbon, Biodiversity, Sal Forest
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The thesis focuses on the assessment of plant diversity, biomass, and carbon pools within the natural forests of the Doon Valley in India, specifically across three forest ranges: Barkot, Lachchiwala, and Thano.
What are the central themes of the work?
Key themes include the ecological assessment of forest vegetation, the role of forests in climate change mitigation via carbon sequestration, and the application of remote sensing and GIS for environmental monitoring.
What is the core research objective?
The core objective is to determine the floristic diversity and dominance status of plant communities, analyze soil organic carbon, estimate biomass, and quantify total carbon stocks in the selected study sites.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The research employs a combination of field-based ecological sampling (nested quadrat method for diversity and structure) and geospatial analysis (Remote Sensing and GIS) for forest type mapping and biomass estimation.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body systematically covers the site descriptions, physical and chemical soil analysis, extensive floristic diversity surveys, phytosociological assessments, and detailed biomass/carbon stock calculations for different forest types.
Which keywords characterize this study?
The study is characterized by terms such as carbon sequestration, biomass estimation, forest ecology, Doon Valley, Shorea robusta, and geospatial analysis.
How does the study address the role of Shorea robusta?
The research highlights Shorea robusta (Sal) as the dominant tree species across all study sites, analyzing its specific contribution to total biomass and carbon storage within different forest types.
What is the significance of the TWINSPAN analysis in this work?
TWINSPAN is used for the multivariate classification and ordination of herb, shrub, and tree species to understand their community organization and ecological affinities in the study area.
How is the carbon storage calculated in this study?
Carbon storage is estimated by converting tree volume data (derived from species-specific equations) into biomass, applying Biomass Expansion Factors (BEF), and then utilizing constant conversion factors to estimate carbon stocks.
- Citation du texte
- Dr. Mohommad Shahid (Auteur), Dr. S.P. Joshi (Auteur), 2013, Assessments Of Plant Diversity, Biomass And Carbon Pool In Natural Forests Of Doon Valley Using Geospatial Technology, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/284629
