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Carbon storage capacity of high altitude Quercus

semecarpifolia, forests of Central Himalayan region
a a a
Arti Verma , Ashish Tewari & Shruti Shah
a
Department of Forestry & Environmental Science , Kumaun University , Nainital ,
Uttarakhand , India
Accepted author version posted online: 08 Jun 2012.Published online: 08 Jun 2012.

To cite this article: Arti Verma , Ashish Tewari & Shruti Shah (2012) Carbon storage capacity of high altitude Quercus
semecarpifolia, forests of Central Himalayan region, Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 27:7, 609-618, DOI:
10.1080/02827581.2012.689003

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 Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2012; 27: 609
618

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Carbon storage capacity of high altitude Quercus semecarpifolia,

forests of Central Himalayan region

ARTI VERMA, ASHISH TEWARI & SHRUTI SHAH

Department of Forestry & Environmental Science, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
Downloaded by [The Aga Khan University] at 23:54 12 November 2014

Abstract
Quercus semecarpifolia, Smith. (brown oak) forests dominate the high altitudes of central Himalaya between 2400 and 2750
m and the timber line areas. The species is viviparous with short seed viability and coincides its germination with monsoon
rains in July
August. These forests have large reserves of carbon in their biomass (above and below ground parts) and soil.
We monitored the carbon stock and carbon sequestration rates of this oak on two sites subjected to varying level of
disturbance between 2004 and 2009. These forests had carbon ranging between 210.26 and 258.02 t ha 1 in their biomass
in 2009 and mean carbon sequestration rates between 3.7 and 4.8 t ha 1 yr 1. The litter production in both the sites
ranged from 5.63 to 7.25 t ha 1 yr 1. The leaf litter decomposition of species took more than 720 days for approximately
90% decomposition. Even at 1 m soil depth soil organic carbon was close to 1.0%.

Keywords: Quercus semecarpifolia, Biomass, Litter, Carbon Sequestration, Allometric Equations, Disturbance.

Introduction variation in canopy cover and forest floor litter due to

Anthropogenic activities have increased carbon di-
oxide concentration in the atmosphere from 280 to
380 ppm (2005) in less than two centuries and
global temperatures by 0.758C in past century
(Folland et al., 2001) with 2.08C predicted rise in
the Himalayan region (Ravindranath et al., 2006).
The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) aims to stabilizes the
green house gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere
(UNFCCC, 1993). Forests and soils on a global
scale may hold up to two times more carbon as
present in the atmosphere (Geider et al., 2001).
Even when a little over 30% of the global forest area
is unmanaged natural forest, the importance of
existing natural forests with huge reserves of carbon
in their biomass has been neglected. Attention has
remained focused on afforestation and reforestation
activities as carbon mitigation strategies (Schulze et
al., 2000). In the Central Himalayan region, ever-
green tree species dominate between 200 and 2600
m elevations (Singh & Singh, 1992). The forests of
the region show net carbon accumulation between
5 and 7 t ha 1 yr 1 (Singh et al., 2004). However,
biotic disturbances can severely alter the carbon
sequestration rates and soil organic carbon (SOC) of
the forests (Dmakaran & Krishnayya, 2010). Litter
production and decomposition is an essential pro-
cess in ecosystems, concerning the emission and
storage of carbon, release of nutrients and formation
of humus in the soil (Berg, 2000; Parton et al.,
2007). In highly disturbed sites at various locations
in the Himalayan region, the forest floor is literally
swept clean of litter to be used as manure in
agricultural fields (Thadani, 1999). Oak is one of
the largest genera with approximately 600 species
generally restricted to the northern hemisphere.
Oaks of the Himalayan region are mostly evergreen
with concentrated leaf drop in the spring season.
Brown oak (Quercus semecarpifolia Smith.), a late
successional species forms climax vegetation be-
tween 2200 and 2600 m elevations, but has
restricted regeneration (Singh & Singh, 1987). It is
naturally long lived (
300 yrs) and require small
gaps for survival and regeneration of seedlings as
well as protection from grazing. The species has
viviparous seeds with short seed viability and it

Correspondence: S. Shah, Department of Forestry & Environmental Science, Kumaun University, Nainital 263002, Uttarakhand, India.
E-mail: shrutisah@indiatimes.com

(Received 18 May 2011; accepted 24 April 2012)

ISSN 0282-7581 print/ISSN 1651-1891 online # 2012 Taylor & Francis
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2012.689003
 610 A. Verma et al.
synchronizes its seed maturation and germination
with monsoon rains.
Generally, short-term studies of two or three year,
form the basis of predicting carbon sequestration
rates. We studied the tree biomass changes on two
sites in Q. semecarpifolia dominated forest which had
dominance of older trees and the carbon accumula-
tion potential between 2004 and 2009. The litter fall
and decomposition rates were monitored for a period
of 2 years only (2005
2007). Old growth forests
store large amount of carbon in their above and
below ground parts and surrounding soil including
litter. The study has significance as it can be
instrumental in predicting the importance of aging
populations in maintaining large carbon stocks in
their biomass and surrounding soils which is
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extremely vulnerable to climate change.
Materials and methods
Study site
Kumaun Himalayan region where the present study
sites are located has approximately 73,812 ha of Q.
semecarpifolia covered forest area. The two study sites
located in Nainital district of Kumaun are dominated
by Q. semecarpifolia Smith with intermittent trees of
Quercus floribunda Lindl. and Rhododendron arboreum
Smith. Disturbance on the sites was assessed in terms
of canopy cover (%), incidence of forest fire, grazing
intensity (by counting dung piles/droppings), and
number of lopped branched/tree. The site, Kunja-
kharak is located between 29830? to 298 27?N latitude
and 79819? to 79820?E longitude with an altitude
varying between 2460 and 2550m. Q. semecarpifolia
dominant forest spread is over approximately 16
hectare area. The site is moderately disturbed as
two villages are located in its proximity (1 km radius)
and average animal population in each village ranged
between 4 and 6 per household (total household 63).
The forest canopy cover was B40% (estimated using
a densitometer) and grazing intensity high as 2 herds
of 6
8 cattle visited the area regularly except during
the rainy season between July and September. Forest
fire has not occurred on this site for the past six years.
The second site China peak (2530
2620 m) is
located between 29827? and 29829?N latitude and
79823? to 79825?E longitude is less disturbed as no
village is located in its 3 km radius. 12 hectare area is
approximately dominated by Q. semecarpifolia forest
at this site. A herd of 5
6 cattle occasionally grazed
on this site, forest canopy cover is
62% and
forest fire uncommon. The temperatures are similar
to those of temperate regions because of high
altitude, but latitudinally they come within the
subtropical belt. The basic climatic patterns are
governed by the monsoon rhythms. There are three
main seasons, winter season (December
March) a
relatively dry summer (April
mid June) and a warm,
humid rainy season (mid June
September) which
accounts for approximately, 70% of the annual rain-
fall. Severe frosts are usual throughout the winter
season and snowfall is frequent with snow persisting
for months in the northern pockets. The mean
annual rainfall varied between 1586 and 2086 mm
during the study period. The temperature data were
collected using a thermohygrometer kept in the
laboratory at 2000 m located in the study area. The
summer mean maximum temperature was 18.38C
and minimum 10.28C and winter mean maximum
temperature was 10.78C and minimum 2.58C.
Methodology
Ten permanent circular plots of 5.65 m radius were
marked on each site and the tree density, and basal
area was estimated (Curtis & McIntosh, 1950).
Population structures were developed taking circum-
ference at breast height (cbh) at 1.37 m from the
base of the tree with a meter tape. The data were
categorized in eight circumference classes (A 251

300 cm, B 201
250 cm, C 151
200 cm,
D 101
150 cm, E 51
100 cm, F31
50 cm,
G 11
30 cm, H0
10 cm). For the estimation of
tree biomass (below and above ground), cbh was
taken for all tree individuals falling within each
circular plot in October 2004 (Yr1) and biomass
estimated using previously developed allometric
equation based on cbh (Adhikari et al., 1995). The
measurements were repeated in October seasons in
each consecutive year 2005 (Yr2), 2006 (Yr3), 2007
(Yr4), 2008 (Yr5), and 2009 (Yr6) and biomass for
each year estimated. The change in biomass was
estimated between two consecutive years by sub-
tracting the second year biomass with first year
biomass (Yr2
Yr1, Yr3
Yr2, Yr4
Yr3, Yr5
Yr4, and
Yr6
Yr5) and averaged to present the average
biomass change of the sites. 50% of biomass change
each year was taken as the carbon sequestration rate
which was averaged to represent the mean carbon
sequestration rate (Roy et al., 2001; Singh et al.,
2011).
Five pits randomly distributed over the studied
area on each site were dug up to 100 cm depth and
50 g of soil collected from 0
20, 20
40, 40
60,
60
80, and 80
100 cm in 2005 (October). Soil
carbon estimation was done following Stolboyoy
(2005). Soil bulk density and soil moisture was
estimated for each soil depth by following Jackson
(1958). Soil pH was measured using a digital hand
held by pH-meter.
 Carbon storage capacity of high altitude Quercus semecarpifolia 611
For estimating the litter fall, five litter traps of
1 1 m were made by 2 mm mesh nylon suspended
from galvanized wires supported by four sticks of
25 cm deep to avoid litter from being swept away by
wind and placed on both the sites (Thadani, 1999).
Litter was collected at monthly intervals for two
consecutive years from January 2005 to December
2006 and brought to the laboratory. The litter was
then sorted out into three main categories viz (1) leaf
litter, (2) wood litter, and (3) miscellaneous litter.
Acorns were included in the miscellaneous litter
component. We assessed the seed production in
moderately disturbed and less disturbed sites reg-
ularly for five years (2004
2009) following Joshi and
Tewari (2009), as contribution of acorns in mast and
non-mast years in miscellaneous litter can be sig-
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nificant. The litter was dried in an oven at 808C and
weighted till constant weight.
For studying the litter decomposition rates, fresh
fallen leaves were collected and oven dried to a
constant weight. 10 g of dried leaves were placed in
10 10 cm2 nylon mesh bags (0.5 mm mesh) and
closed firmly by inserting metal pins. 80
90 bags
were placed on the forest floor at both the sites. The
bags were collected at monthly intervals from
December 2005 to November 2007. The litter
decomposition rates were assessed following
Lodhiyal et al. (2002). Analysis of Variance (ANO-
VA) test was applied for assessing variations in soil
carbon, across different soil depths and sites, seed
fall density between years and weeks and litter
decomposition rate across sites and months,
by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS 16.0).
Results
Soil characteristics
The soil of the study sites was slightly alkaline (pH of
study sites ranged between 7.3 and 7.6). The soil
Table I. Vertical distribution of soil carbon and soil bulk density on different sites.
Aspect Soil depth (cm) Soil carbon (%)
China Peak 0
20 4.190.25
20
40 2.590.23
40
60 2.290.32
60
80 1.390.22
80
100 0.9790.10
Kunjakharak 0
20 4.291.00
20
40 1.990.22
40
60 1.690.12
60
80 1.090.20
80
100 0.990.55
Note: (9) shows Standard error (SE).
moisture on both the sites was studied up to 1 m
depth in three seasons (spring, summer, and winter)
of year 2004, 2006, and 2008 only. The average soil
moisture percentage in less disturbed site was found
to be higher than the soil moisture at moderately
disturbed site. The soil moisture in the less disturbed
ranged from 52.15% in the top layer to 32.89% in
the lower layer (80
100 cm). The average soil
moisture percentage in the moderately disturbed
site varied from 33.30% in the top layer and
24.45% in 80
100 cm layer. (Table I)
The SOC at less disturbed site and moderately
disturbed site was more or less similar in the top
layer (0
20 cm) and thereafter declined with depth.
However, the soil carbon on the less disturbed site
between 20 and 40cm depth was much higher than
moderately disturbed site. Even at 100cm, depth the
SOC was close to 1.0%. ANOVA indicate that the
soil carbon varied significantly depthwise (p B0.001)
but not between the sites. The range of soil bulk
density at both sites was similar (Table I).
Vegetational analysis
The total tree density at less disturbed site was 540
tree/ha and at moderately disturbed site was 580
trees/ha. The forests of both sites were dominated by
Q. semecarpifolia and were more or less pure with
scattered trees of Q. floribunda and R. arboreum. The
total basal area of tree vegetation at less disturbed
site was 41.52 m2 ha 1 and at moderately disturbed
site 35.05m2 ha 1. (Table II).
Majority of the trees of Q. semecarpifolia were in
251
300 cm circumference class (taken at 1.37 m)
at the moderately disturbed site. At the less dis-
turbed site, the population was relatively younger
with 51% trees between 201 and 250 cm classes and
39% trees in 251
300 cm circumference class.
Absence of younger individuals was conspicuous
(Figure 1).
Soil moisture (%) Soil bulk density (g cc 1)
52.1592.30 0.7690.01
42.1591.15 0.8890.02
38.7992.45 0.7990.017
35.8094.32 0.7590.021
32.8991.20 0.7190.03
33.3092.10 0.7590.017
28.5591.35 0.8690.025
25.6790.97 0.8290.013
25.1290.56 0.8090.018
24.4590.33 0.7090.025
 612 A. Verma et al.
Table II. Vegetational parameters of Quercus semecarpifolia dominated forest on less disturbed and moderately disturbed sites in Yr1 (2004).
Species Sites Density (tree ha 1)
Quercus semecarpifolia China peak
Quercus floribunda China peak
Total
Quercus semecarpifolia Kunjakharak
Quercus floribunda Kunjakharak
Rhododendron arboreum Kunjakharak
Total
Seed fall density
Quercus semecarpifolia produced seed crops that
varied widely in quantity from year to year. During
the study period from 2004 to 2009 at both the sites
only one good seed crop occurred that is in 2005
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when the average seed fall density at less disturbed
site was 22.8 seeds m 2 and at moderately disturbed
site 26.0 seed m 2. In other years, the seed fall
density was low in comparison to 2005 crop gen-
erally below 8.3 seeds m 2 (Figure 2). Across the
years and sites, seed size ranged between 8.5 and
14.04 cm2 and the seed fresh weight 8.2
9.7 g
seed 1 (the mean dry weight 5.2 g seed 1). The
seed was larger and heavier during the good seed
year 2005. ANOVA shows that seed fall density
yearwise and weekwise varied significantly (pB
0 .001) on both the sites.
Tree biomass and carbon
Over the study period (2004
2009) the total tree
biomass at the less disturbed site changed from
463.36 to 512.04 t ha 1 and the stored tree carbon
increased from 231.68 to 256.02 t ha 1. In the total
tree biomass, the above ground parts contributed
Figure 1. Population structure of Quercus semecarpifolia in less
disturbed and moderately disturbed sites. Circumference classes
have been divided into following (A251
300 cm, B201
250
cm, C 151
200 cm, D 101
150 cm, E51
100 cm, F 31

50 cm, G11
30 cm, H 0
10cm).
Mean basal area(m2 tree 1) Total basal area(m2 ha 1)
440 0.832 36.62
100 0.049 4.90
540 41.52
380 0.764 29.05
100 0.013 1.3
100 0.047 4.7
580 35.05
75.51% and below ground parts contributed
24.49%. At the less disturbed site, the contribution
of Q. semecarpifolia in the total tree biomass was
92.05% and of Q. floribunda was 7.95%. The
contribution of different tree component in total
tree biomass was as following, 55.53% by bole,
15.13% by bark, 2.65% by twig, 2.20% by foliage,
15.30% by stump root, 6.79% by lateral root, and
2.40% by fine root (Table III).
At moderately disturbed site, the total tree bio-
mass changed from 385.42 t ha 1 (2004) to 420.53
t ha 1 (2009) and the tree carbon increased from
192.7 t ha 1 (2004) to 210.26 t ha 1 (2009). The
contribution of different tree species at moderately
disturbed site in total tree biomass was in the
following order, Q. semecarpifolia 91.37%, Q.
floribunda 6.53%, and R. arboreum 2.02%. The
contribution of below and above ground parts and
components was similar as on the less disturbed site
(Table IV).
Carbon sequestration rate
Across the two sites and years the carbon sequestra-
tion rates of these forests ranged from 3.14 to 5.32 t
ha 1 yr 1. The annual sequestration rates were
Figure 2. The mean annual seed fall density with 9SE on less
disturbed and moderately disturbed sites of Quercus semecarpifolia
dominated forest. The values are in seeds m 2.
 Carbon storage capacity of high altitude Quercus semecarpifolia 613
Table III. Biomass and carbon distribution in different tree components from 2004 to 2009 in China Peak, less disturbed site of Quercus
semecarpifolia dominated forests.

Species Components 2004 (t ha 1) 2005 (t ha 1) 2006 (t ha 1) 2007 (t ha 1) 2008 (t ha 1) 2009 (t ha 1)

Quercus Bole 242.88 (121.44) 247.44 (123.44) 252.09 (126.04) 256.91 (128.45) 260.94 (130.47) 265.26 (132.63)
semecarpifolia Bark 63.07 (31.53) 64.29 (32.14) 65.4 (32.7) 66.72 (33.36) 67.78 (33.89) 68.93 (34.46)
Twig 10.35 (5.17) 10.5 (5.25) 10.65 (5.32) 10.81 (5.40) 10.94 (5.47) 11.08 (5.54)
Foliage 8.41 (4.20) 8.54 (4.27) 8.65 (4.32) 8.78 (4.39) 8.88 (4.44) 8.99 (4.49)
Above ground 324.71 (162.35) 330.77 (165.38) 336.79 (168.39) 343.22 (171.61) 348.54 (174.27) 354.26 (177.13)
Stump root 65.75 (32.87) 66.83 (33.41) 67.86 (33.93) 68.97 (34.48) 69.89 (34.95) 70.9 (35.45)
Lateral root 28.48 (14.24) 28.97 (14.48) 29.43 (14.71) 29.93 (14.96) 30.35 (15.18) 30.8 (15.4)
Fine root 11.13 (5.56) 11.3 (5.65) 11.46 (5.73) 11.63 (5.81) 11.78 (5.89) 11.93 (5.96)
Below ground 105.36 (52.68) 107.1 (53.55) 108.75 (54.37) 110.53 (55.26) 112.02 (56.01) 113.63 (56.81)
Total biomass 430.07 (215.03) 437.87 (218.93) 445.54 (222.77) 453.75 (226.34) 460.56 (230.28) 467.89 (233.94)
Quercus Bole 13.86 (6.93) 15.33 (7.66) 16.30 (8.15) 17.25 (8.62) 18.22 (9.11) 19.62 (9.81)
floribunda Bark 6.65 (3.28) 7.21 (3.60) 7.64 (3.82) 8.06 (4.03) 8.48 (4.24) 9.10 (4.55)
Twig 2.06 (1.03) 2.16 (1.08) 2.23 (1.11) 2.29 (1.14) 2.35 (1.18) 2.43 (1.22)
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Foliage 1.84 (0.924) 1.957 (0.978) 2.02 (1.01) 2.09 (1.04) 2.15 (1.07) 2.24 (1.12)
Above ground 24.41 (12.20) 26.65 (13.32) 28.19 (14.09) 29.69 (14.84) 31.2 (15.6) 33.39 (16.69)
Stump root 5.58 (2.79) 5.89 (2.94) 6.09 (3.04) 6.28 (3.14) 6.47 (3.23) 6.73 (3.36)
Lateral root 3.23 (1.61) 3.37 (1.68) 3.47 (1.73) 3.55 (1.77) 3.64 (1.82) 3.76 (1.88)
Fine root 0.152 (0.076) 0.173 (0.086) 0.188 (0.094) 0.202 (0.101) 0.217 (0.108) 0.239 (0.119)
Below ground 8.96 (4.48) 9.43 (4.71) 9.74 (4.87) 10.03 (5.01) 10.32 (5.16) 10.72 (5.36)
Total biomass 33.29 (16.64) 36.12 (18.06) 37.95 (18.97) 39.75 (19.87) 41.55 (20.77) 44.15 (22.07)

Note: All values are in t ha 1 yr 1. The values in parenthesis are of carbon taken as 50% of the biomass.

generally higher on the less disturbed site than the
moderately disturbed site. The average sequestration
rate on the less disturbed site was 4.8 and 3.7 t ha 1
yr 1 on the moderately disturbed site (Figure 3).
Litter fall
In the less disturbed site, the total annual litter fall
was 7.25 t ha 1 in Yr1 (January 2005
December
2005) and 6.52 t ha 1 in Yr2 (January 2006

December 2006) (Figure 4). In Yr1, total leaf litter
fall was 5.30 t ha 1, wood litter was 1.10 t ha 1,
and miscellaneous litter was 0.84 t ha 1. In Yr2,
total leaf litter was 5.0 t ha 1, wood litter was 1.3 t
ha 1, and miscellaneous litter was 0.22 t ha 1. The
contribution of ungerminated seeds in Yr1 (the good
seed year) was 0.67 t ha 1 compared to 0.11 t ha 1
in Yr2.
In moderately disturbed site, total litter fall was
6.32 t ha 1in Yr1 and 5.63 t ha 1 in Yr2 (Figure 4).
In Yr1, total leaf litter fall was 4.90 t ha 1, wood
litter was 0.62 t ha 1 and miscellaneous litter fall
was 0.80 t ha 1. In Yr2, total leaf litter fall was 4.63
t ha 1, wood litter was 0.80 t ha 1, and miscella-
neous litter was 0.20 t ha 1. On this site to the
contribution of ungerminated seeds in good seed
year (Yr1) was more than 80%. Both the years
maximum litter fall was recorded in the month of
May and June. In both the sites, in Yr1 miscella-
neous litter was significantly higher than Yr2.
Litter decomposition
At less disturbed site, after 720 days 96.291.44%
litter had decomposed. On the moderately disturbed
site after 720 days 87.295.84% litter had decom-
posed (Figure 5). The rate of decomposition at less
disturbed site was faster than moderately disturbed
site. ANOVA indicated that the litter decomposition
rates significantly varied across sites and months
(p B0.001).
Discussion
Mature and over mature forests generally sequester
carbon in their live woody tissues and in the
undecomposed and partially decomposed litter in
the soil, thereby acting as an effective carbon sink
(Carey et al., 2001; Luyssaert et al., 2008). If these
forests are logged or disturbed huge quantities of
carbon would move back into the atmosphere. It was
an accepted theory in the past that old growth forests
are ‘‘carbon neutral’’ (Kira & Sihdei, 1967; Odum,
1969), and when maximum above ground biomass is
reached the oldest trees are lost due to natural
calamities and their place taken by young indivi-
duals. Q. semecarpifolia forest of present study had
512.04 t ha 1, biomass in year 2009 at less
disturbed site whereas biomass at moderately
disturbed site was 420.53 t/ha. The majority of trees
at the two sites had trees above 200 cm cbh.
Available data show that the above ground biomass
 614 A. Verma et al.
Table IV. Biomass and carbon distribution in different tree components from 2004 to 2009 in Kunjakharak moderately disturbed site of
Q. semecarpifolia dominated forests.

Species Components 2004 (t ha 1) 2005 (t ha 1) 2006 (t ha 1) 2007 (t ha 1) 2008 (t ha 1) 2009 (t ha 1)

Quercus Bole 199.79 (99.89) 202.27 (101.13) 206.89 (103.44) 210.34 (105.17) 212.98 (106.49) 214.95 (107.47)
semecarpifolia Bark 51.90 (25.95) 52.55 (26.27) 53.74 (26.87) 54.60 (27.3) 55.34 (27.67) 55.84 (27.92)
Twig 8.61 (4.30) 8.69 (4.34) 8.84 (4.42) 8.95 (4.47) 9.04 (4.52) 9.11 (4.55)
Foliage 7.01 (3.50) 7.07 (3.53) 7.19 (3.59) 7.28 (3.64) 7.35 (3.67) 7.40 (3.7)
Above 267.31 (133.65) 270.58 (135.29) 276.66 (138.33) 281.17 (140.58) 284.71 (142.35) 287.3 (143.65)
ground
Stump root 54.50 (27.25) 55.07 (27.53) 56.14 (28.07) 56.89 (28.44) 57.55 (28.77) 57.99 (28.99)
Lateral root 23.57 (11.78) 23.83 (11.91) 24.31 (12.31) 24.65 (12.34) 24.94 (12.47) 25.14 (12.57)
Fine root 9.26 (4.63) 9.35 (4.67) 9.51 (4.75) 9.63 (4.81) 9.73 (4.86) 9.80 (4.9)
Below 87.33 (43.66) 88.25 (44.12) 89.96 (44.98) 91.17 (45.58) 92.22 (46.11) 92.93 (46.46)
ground
Total 354.64 (177.32) 358.83 (179.41) 366.26 (183.13) 372.34 (186.17) 376.93 (188.46) 380.23 (190.11)
biomass
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Quercus Bole 7.76 (3.88) 8.82 (4.41) 9.85 (4.92) 10.87 (5.43) 11.88 (5.94) 12.88 (6.44)
floribunda Bark 3.80 (1.90) 4.28 (2.14) 4.75 (2.37) 5.22 (2.61) 5.67 (2.83) 6.12 (3.06)
Twig 1.56 (0.782) 1.66 (0.831) 1.75 (0.877) 1.83 (0.91) 1.918 (0.95) 1.99 (0.99)
Foliage 1.34 (0.67) 1.43 (0.71) 1.52 (0.76) 1.61 (0.80) 1.69 (0.84) 1.77 (0.88)
Above 14.46 (7.23) 16.19 (8.09) 17.87 (8.93) 19.53 (9.76) 21.15 (10.57) 22.76 (11.38)
ground
Stump root 4.07 (2.03) 4.36 (2.18) 4.64 (2.32) 4.89 (2.44) 5.13 (2.56) 5.36 (2.68)
Lateral root 2.50 (1.25) 2.65 (1.32) 2.78 (1.39) 2.90 (1.45) 3.02 (1.51) 3.13 (1.56)
Fine root 0.071 (0.035) 0.084 (0.042) 0.097 (0.048) 0.111 (0.055) 0.124 (0.062) 0.138 (0.069)
Below 6.64 (3.32) 7.09 (3.54) 7.51 (3.75) 7.9 (3.95) 8.27 (4.13) 8.62 (4.31)
ground
Total 21.13 (10.56) 23.30 (11.65) 25.41 (12.70) 27.46 (13.73) 29.45 (14.72) 31.40 (15.70)
Biomass
Rhododendron Bole 2.68 (1.34) 2.78 (1.39) 2.94 (1.47) 3.05 (1.52) 3.15 (1.57) 3.20 (1.60)
arboreum Bark 1.26 (0.63) 1.30 (0.65) 1.37 (0.68) 1.41 (0.70) 1.45 (0.72) 1.47 (0.73)
Twig 1.03 (0.51) 1.07 (0.53) 1.12 (0.56) 1.16 (0.58) 1.20 (0.60) 1.21 (0.60)
Foliage 0.274 (0.137) 0.283 (0.141) 0.296 (0.148) 0.305 (0.152) 0.314 (0.157) 0.318 (0.159)
Above 5.24 (2.62) 5.43 (2.71) 5.72 (2.86) 5.92 (2.96) 6.11 (3.05) 6.19 (3.09)
ground
Stump root 1.66 (0.834) 1.70 (0.854) 1.76 (0.88) 1.80 (0.90) 1.84 (0.92) 1.86 (0.93)
Lateral root 0.608 (0.304) 0.625 (0.312) 0.650 (0.325) 0.667 (0.337) 0.684 (0.342) 0.692 (0.346)
Fine root 0.123 (0.061) 0.125 (0.062) 0.128 (0.064) 0.130 (0.065) 0.132 (0.066) 0.132 (0.066)
Below 2.38 (1.19) 2.44 (1.22) 2.53 (1.26) 2.59 (1.29) 2.65 (1.32) 2.68 (1.34)
ground
Total 7.65 (3.82) 7.90 (3.95) 8.28 (4.14) 8.53 (4.26) 8.78 (4.39) 8.90 (4.90)
biomass

Note: All values are in t ha 1 yr 1. The values in parenthesis are of carbon taken as 50% of the biomass.

of oak dominated forests and some other planted
forests in the world ranges between 95.4 and 639.7
t ha 1(Table V). For Q. semecarpifolia forest of
Nepal, the above ground biomass has been reported
to range between 241.8 and 462.1 t/ha (Subedi &
Shakya, 1988). In Q. phillyraeoides-Rapanaea of
Japan, the above ground biomass was between
217.8 t /ha (Kan et al., 1965) and Quercus borealis
forest of USA, it was 173 t/ha (Ovington et al.,
1963).
Plant biomass and net primary productivity of
forests located between 300 and 2200 m have been
studied by various workers in the Central Himalayan
region (Chaturvedi & Singh, 1982; Rana et al.,
1988; Rawat & Singh, 1988). The biomass values
in these studies tend to cluster around two levels one
for the early successional species which were low
200and 400 t ha 1 for the late successional species
like oaks and sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn f.), which
were relatively high (Singh & Singh, 1992). Accord-
ing to these studies, tree biomass exceeding 700 t
ha 1 has been reported for old growth S. robusta
forest and mixed oak forests. A mature forest with its
deep root system can easily have more than 500
t ha 1 yr 1 biomass stored in its above and below
ground parts (Rana et al., 1989).
The average carbon sequestration rate on less
disturbed site was 4.8 t ha 1 yr 1compared to 3.7
t ha 1 yr 1 on moderately disturbed site. For
carbon sequestration, the focus should be on
 Carbon storage capacity of high altitude Quercus semecarpifolia 615
Figure 3. The mean annual carbon sequestration rates on less
disturbed and moderately disturbed sites of Quercus semecarpifolia
dominated forest from year 2004
2009. The values are in t ha 1
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yr 1.
prevention of deforestation/ forest degradation
rather than on afforestation /reforestation. A new
plantation may take 100
300 years to accumulate
the pre-logged stocks of carbon as present in these
old growth forests.
In the Central Himalayan forests SOC varies from
0.97% to 4.1% at different soil depths (Singh &
Singh, 1992). The SOC in the present study varied
between 0.9% and 4.2% (Table II.). Even at 1 m
depth the soil carbon was close to 1.0%. These
values for brown oak forest soils are marginally
higher than the earlier reported values for oak
species by Singh and Singh (1992). Most of the
data on soil carbon of central Himalaya are based on
20
30 cm soil depths, which may account for only a
small fraction of soil carbon. On an average the
percentage of carbon in the top 20 cm, relative to
that in the first meter soil column, is 50% of that in
Figure 4. The total litters fall with 9SE on two sites less disturbed and moderately disturbed sites of Quercus semecarpifolia dominated
forest from 2005
2006. The values are in t ha 1.
the first meter (Jobbagy & Jackson, 2000). Thus, the
forest soils in central Himalaya are expected to
contain about three times as much soil carbon as
compared to the reported values on the basis of top
20
30 cm soil. The turnover of the deep soil carbon
is slow which could be important from the stand
point of carbon sequestration. There is need to
understand vertical carbon distribution in soils of
different kinds of forest ecosystems. The vertical
distribution of roots and soil carbon are correlated
but soil carbon goes deeper than roots. Soil carbon
turnover decreases with soil depth resulting in higher
soil accumulation per units of carbon input in deeper
layer (Singh et al., 2004). The tree species which
have a deeper root allocation hold a great potential
and various species of given area need to be
examined in view of soil carbon accumulation. The
contribution of good seed years should not be
neglected in maintaining SOC.
The fall of litter was observed over a two-year
period. In moderately disturbed site, the litter
production was lower than less disturbed site. Litter
production was more in the year of large seed crop
and lower in the year of low-seed crop. The litter fall
across two years on the less disturbed site ranged
from 7.25 and 6.52 t ha 1 yr 1 and 6.32 to 5.63t
ha 1 yr 1 on the moderately disturbed site. The
contribution of the seed biomass (ungerminated) in
miscellaneous litter was 0.67t ha 1 yr 1 in large
seed crop year and 0.11t ha 1 yr 1 in low-seed crop
year. The values of litter fall are close to reported
values for oak forest litter fall in the Central
Himalayan region. The litter production in these
Himalayan oak forests appears to be closer to the
values in tropical forests (6.2 t ha 1 yr 1) than
Boreal forests (4.3 t ha 1 yr 1) (Landsberg &
Grower, 1997). Oak forests of the region generally
 616 A. Verma et al.

take 669 days for complete litter decomposition on

forest floor (Singh & Singh, 1992). In less disturbed
Q. semecarpifolia, forest the decomposition was
96.2% and in moderately disturbed 87.2% after
720 days. Higher altitude with lower temperature
can be the reason for slower decomposition rates.
However, the decreased rate of litter decomposition
at the more disturbed site could be attributed
to lower soil moisture and enhanced evapo-
transpiration due to lower canopy cover at the
moderately disturbed site. These lower decomposi-
tion rates however, offer one single advantage in the
short period more carbon would be stored in the
forest floor (Callaham et al., 2004).
Based on this study it is evident that an old growth
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forest of Q. semecarpifolia can have close to 256.02

Figure 5. Leaf litter decomposition (%) with 9SE over a period t c ha 1 stored in its woody biomass and
of 720 days in less disturbed and moderately disturbed sites. still sequestered carbon at reasonably high rates.

Table V. Comparative account of vegetational parameters and above and below ground biomass in other oak and planted forests of India
and World.

Biomass
Basal (below Total
Density area (m2/ Biomass (above ground) biomass
Forest species Location Elevation (trees/ha) ha) ground)(t ha 1) (t ha 1) (t ha 1) Source

Mixed oak India 1850 783 40.0 290.80 101 391.8 Singh et al.
(1994)
Quercus India 1950 570 36.8 245.6 111 356.6 ,,
leucotrichophora
Quercus lanata India 2150 993 60 402.10 93 495.1 ,,
Quercus lanata India 2190 660 35.8 207 47 254 ,,
Quercus floribunda India 2190 760 33.9 316.3 83 399.3 ,,
Quercus floribunda India 2200 1107 71.0 542.2 142 684.2 ,,
Mixed oak India 2200 598 55 232.30 81.0 313.3 ,,
Quercus semecarpifolia India 2650 480 73.0 349.2 130 479.2 ,,
Mixed banj-oak India 1850

225.6 100 325.06 Rana et al.
forest (1989)
Q. lanuginosa India 2150

462.9 93.2 556.1 ,,
dominated forest
Q. floribunda India 2200

639.7 142.3 782 ,,
Q. semecarpifolia India 2610 540 83.6 387.65 124.35 512 Present study
dominated forest (northern
aspect)
India (south 2610 580 82.4 316.25 104.22 420.47 Present study
west aspect)
Aspen-Maple- Birch USA


95.4

Crow (1978)
Beech Sweden


314.1

Anderson
(1973)
Post oak- Blackjack USA


179.2

Johnson and
oak Russer (1974)
Quercus borealis USA


173.0

Ovington et al.
(1963)
Q. glauca-Q. acuta- Japan


198.3
228.1

Kan et al.
Camellia japonica (1965)
Q. phillyraeoides- Japan


217.8
265.0

Kan et al.
Rapanaea (1965)
Quercus semecarpifolia Nepal


341.8
462.1

Subedi and
Shakya (1988)
Abies amabilis-Tsuga Canada


542.2

Kimmins and
mertensiana Krumlik (1973)
 Carbon storage capacity of high altitude Quercus semecarpifolia 617
Moderate disturbance does not seem to affect the
carbon sequestration rates. The comparatively
younger and less disturbed stand of Q. semecarpifolia
had marginally higher carbon sequestration rates
than the moderately disturbed forest. This study
supports several new studies that old growth forest
continue to sequester carbon (Carey et al., 2001;
Luyssaert
et al., 2008) and appears to be contrary to the long
standing belief that as forest biomass increases and
ultimately reaches a maximum forest become carbon
neutral. The importance of good seed years and their
contribution in the miscellaneous litter and ulti-
mately soil carbon needs further attention.
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