Influence of the altitudinal gradient on the estimation of carbon stocks in above‐ground live biomass and in the soils of the "Bosque y vegetación protector El Artesan - EcuadorianHands". Joa, Jipijapa

Abstract

Salas Macías, C., Montes Escobar, K., Sánchez-Sancán, G., Alcívar Chávez, W., Murillo Choez, A., Vera Cedeño, F., Bolcato Bolcato, D., Iglesias-Abad, S. 2020. Influence of the altitudinal gradient on the estimation of carbon stocks in above‐ground live biomass and in the soils of the "Bosque y vegetación protector El Artesan - EcuadorianHands". Joa, Jipijapa. Ecosistemas 29(2):1073. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.1973

The quantification of carbon stored in forests is of relevant importance when promoting their conservation. The objective of the present study was to determine the carbon stored in above ground live biomass and in the soil in a dry forest area in Joa, Jipijapa, Ecuador. Permanent circular sampling plots were randomly established (24) with an area of 500 m² considering 3 altitude levels (200 - 250; 251 - 300 and > 300 masl). Diameter at chest height (DBH) and total height of individuals with DBH> 5 cm were recorded. With these data, an allometric equation was used to determine aboveground live biomass and then estimate the carbon stock. The equation includes information on the density of the wood, for which the identification of the species was necessary. Soil carbon was estimated from organic carbon and bulk density. The results show that altitude is not a factor that influences carbon storage, either in above ground live biomass and soils. In terms of carbon stocks in above ground live biomass, 87.9% is contained by three species: C. trischistandra, E. ruizii, B. graveolens. The Joa, Jipijapa forest can store from 105.02 to 112.32 Mg C ha^-1, therefore, this type of forest is considered to be an option to counteract the increase in atmospheric CO², especially when the forest is under dynamic growth processes.