ABOVE GROUND CARBON SEQUESTRATION POTENTIAL IN MIXED AND PURE TREE PLANTATIONS IN THE HUMID TROPICS

Abstract

The use of tree plantations for carbon sequestration can contribute to the mitigation of the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Proper design and management of plantations can increase: biomass accumulation rates, making them more effective carbon sinks. The purpose of this study was to compare above ground biomass production (and subsequently carbon sequestration potential) after six years of growth between three different native tree plantations composed of pure- and mixed-species plots in the Atlantic humid lowlands of Costa Rica. In plantation 1, Vochysia guatemalensis, Jacaranda copaia and the four-species mixed stands had similar total biomass values, but Calophyllum brasiliense was significantly lower. In plantation 2, the mixed species and the Dipteryx panamensis pure-species plots had higher values than the others. In plantation 3, Hyeronima alchorneoides, V. ferruginea and the four-species mixture had similar total biomass. Based on carbon ton-year calculations, J copaia had the highest value, followed by V. guatemalensis, the four-species mix in plantation 1 and then by the fourspecies mix in plantation 2. The results of this research suggest that several native tree species in the region have a varying potential for carbon accumulation and that altering species in plantation design can influence the above ground biomass accumulation rates of tree plantations.