Woody Species Composition, Structure, and Above- and Belowground Carbon Stocks for Climate Change Mitigation in the Tabotat Ericaceous Belt Forest, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

Forests play a critical role in the natural global carbon cycle by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via photosynthesis. Therefore, carbon inventories serve as a baseline for assessing carbon capital supplied by REDD+ programs. However, Ethiopia does not have carbon inventories for every forest patch to monitor and enhance the carbon sequestration potential of the different forests. This study aimed to estimate the biomass carbon stock in woody plants of Tabotat Ericaceous Belt forests for climate change mitigation. Trees with diameter at breast height ≥ 1.5 cm were measured for their diameter and height. Both above- and below-ground biomass and carbon were estimated using pan-tropical and local allometric equations. The results were analyzed using PAST software, version 4.03, and Microsoft Excel, version 2016. The accumulation of forest biomass, including above- and below-ground, is approximately 54.78 tons per hectare, and the carbon content is 27.29 tons per hectare. The Tabotat Ericaceous Belt forest can store up to 100.53 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare from the atmosphere, significantly contributing to regional climate change regulation. Erica arborea accumulated 40.14 ton per hectare of total biomass (above- and belowground biomass) and 20.07 of total carbon (above- and belowground carbon) in their bodies than other tree or shrub species. Rosa abyssinica Lindely stores 0.01 ton per hectare total biomass (above- and belowground biomass) of biomass and 0.005 total carbon (above- and belowground carbon). The future research should assess the unmeasured carbon pools, such as soil organic carbon, deadwood, and litter.