engleski

FIRST ESTIMATES OF CARBON STOCKS BY POOLS IN A BEECH-FIR FOREST STAND IN CROATIA

According to IPCC (Nabuurs et al. 2007), carbon dioxide (C02) represents 77% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) ernissions. Forest ecosystems have an important role in removing the CO2 from the atmosphere through the proces s of growth. At annual level, a forest might act as a net sink or net source of CO2, depending on the forest type, stand age distribution, management, the natural disturbance regime and weather conditions. Monitoring of forest ecosystems has proved to be a very important tool for the assessment of ecosystems response to ongoing environmental changes (EU/ICP Forests). One of the expected consequences of climate change could be a change in forest carbon stocks and fluxes. Therefore, carbon stocks and flux measurements should be an integral part of monitoring in permanent plots. In Dinaric beech-fir forest, managed with the selection forest system, we assessed carbon stocks in a permanent plot established within the ICP Forests Programme. We used inventory methods to quantify aboveground biomass and standing or downed dead wood. For estimates of carbon in leaflitter, humus and soil we took field samples and conducted CNS elemental analysis (Leco CNS-2000). The aim of the research was to obtain the first estimates of carbon stocks in different carbon pools in beech-fir forest. The results rnight be useful in the calculations of national carbon stocks in forests, and in fulfilling Croatia's Kyoto protocol obligations. The research is a part of an effort to incorporate forest carbon monitoring into the existing forest monitoring programme in Croatia, utilizing the international network of permanent plots of the EU's ICP Forests Programme.

Monitoring carbon stocks; woody debris; Kyoto protocol; ICP Forests

nije evidentirano