Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2016, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (4): 405-415.DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2015.0208

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Carbon cycle of larch plantation based on CO2FIX model

Yan-Long JIA1,2, Qian-Ru LI1,2, Zhong-Qi XU1,*(), Wei-Guo SANG3   

  1. 1College of Forestry, Agriculture University of Hebei, Baoding, Hebei 071000, China

    2Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Beijing 100101, China
    and
    3 State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100093, China
  • Received:2015-06-08 Accepted:2016-01-18 Online:2016-04-29 Published:2016-04-30
  • Contact: Zhong-Qi XU

Abstract:

Aims
Plantations play important roles in modifying regional carbon budget and maintaining regional carbon balance. In this study, we assessed larch plantation (Larix gmelinii var. principis-rupprechtii) carbon dynamics in Weichang County from a perspective of the forest biomass-soil-wood-products chain. Our objectives were to elucidate the carbon sink capacity of larch plantation and the influences of biomass, soil and wood product pools on carbon balance.
Methods
CO2FIX model was used to evaluate the carbon storage and flow of larch plantation over a time span of 120 years. Input data for model were derived from practical investigations and published papers. We validated the simulated results and found that this model was suitable in the region and the simulated results were reliable.
Important findings
(1) Soil was the largest carbon pool for larch plantation and the wood product pool had the smallest carbon storage. Meanwhile, carbon storage in wood products gradually increased with time. (2) In a rotation of 50 years from secondary poplar-birch forest to larch plantation, 250 t C·hm-2 was sequestrated by the larch plantation. 70% of the carbon was transferred into soil in the form of litter and logging slash and the other 30% was transferred into wood products. (3) Larch plantation was a carbon sink during most of its growing period and turned to temporary carbon source when it was harvested. Larch plantation could sequestrate about 0.3 t C·hm-2·a-1 in the long term. Our results indicated the importance of wood product carbon pool in carbon dynamics of plantation, which facilitated our understanding in the carbon dynamics and capacity of plantation.

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Key words: larch plantation, carbon cycle, CO2FIX model, carbon sequestration