Estimation of biomass density and carbon storage in the forests of Andhra Pradesh, India, with emphasis on their deforestation and degradation conditions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1515/eje-2015-0007Keywords:
forest degradationAbstract
The current study evaluates the growing stock, biomass and carbon content of Andhra Pradesh state’s forest (India) along with its current status of forest degradation and loss. For this purpose, the study used the growing stock data collected by state forest department in 2010 for the calculation of biomass and carbon storage using the standard conversion and expansion factors given by IPCC. The analysis shows low biomass and carbon values for the state’s forest in comparison to the mean values recorded in different studies made for Andhra Pradesh. It is also observed to be lower when compared with the average carbon and biomass for Indian forests. Overall, the analysis showed degradation and loss of forest in the state, coupled with reduction in biomass and
carbon sink.References
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Haripriya, G.S. (2002) Biomass carbon of truncated diameter classes in
Indian forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 168, 1-13.
Hirano, T., Segah, H., Harada, T., Limin, S., June, T., Hirata, R. & Osaki, M.
(2007) Carbon dioxide balance of a tropical peat swamp forest
in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Global Change Biology, 13, 412-425.
Hitz, S. & Smith, J. (2004) Estimating global impacts from climate
change. Global Environmental Change, 14, 201-218.
Hooijer, A., Page, S., Canadell, J.G., Silvius, M., Kwadijk, J., Wösten, H.
& Jauhiainen, J. (2010) Current and future CO2 emissions from
drained peatlands in Southeast Asia. Biogeosciences, 7, 1505-
1514.
Champion, H.G. & Seth, S.K. (1968) A revised survey of the forest types
of India. Delhi: Manager of Publications, 1968.
Chapin, F., Matson, P. & Mooney, H. (2002) Principles of terrestrial ecosystem
ecology. Springer, New York.
Chetan, C. (2011, April 1) ‘Land mafia paying tribals for forest encroachment’.
Retrieved from http://www.hindustantimes.com/
delhi/land-mafia-paying-tribals-for-forest-encroachment/story-
6G0FVHJugeTHAQr9MDdQsN.html
Chhabra, A, Palria, S, Dadhwal, V.K. (2002) Growing stock based forest
biomass estimate for India. Biomass and Bioenergy, 22(3), 187-
194.
IGBP (International Geoshpere Bioshpere Programme) Report. (1998)
The terrestrial carbon cycle: Implications for the Kyoto Protocol.
Science, 280, 1393-139
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http://www.governancenow.com/views/think-tanks/india-sforest-
cover-decreasing-fsi
Indian State of Forest Report 2009. (2009) Ministry of Environment &
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co.in/fsi/sfr2009/chapter5.pdf
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Irvin, K.S., Alfred, G. & Yousif, A.H. (2012) Estimation of tropical forest
biomass for assessment of carbon sequestration using regression
models and remote sensing in Berau, East Kalimantan,
Indonesia. Retrieved from http://a-a-r-s.org/aars/proceeding/
ACRS2007/Papers/PS2.G2.3.pdf
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com/2002/12/18/stories/2002121801400500.htm
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potential of U.S. forest soils to sequester carbon and mitigate
the greenhouse effect. CRC Press, 2002, ISBN 1-56670-583-5,
pp. 47-72.
Kaul, M., Mohren, G.M.J. & Dadhwal, V.K. (2010) Carbon storage and
sequestration potential of selected tree species in India. Mitigation
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Kumar, S.S. (2012, February 8) India’s forest cover declines. Retrieved
from http://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/indias-forest-coverdeclines-
35917
Lal, M. & Singh, R. (2000) Carbon sequestration potential of Indian forests.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 60, 315-27.
Malhi, Y., Meir, P. & Brown, S. (2002) Forests, carbon and global climate.
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A, 360, 1567-1591.
Manhas, R.K., Negi, J.D.S., Rajesh K. & Chauhan P.S. (2006) Temporal Assessment
of Growing Stock, Biomass and Carbon Stock of Indian
Forests. Climatic Change (2006) 74, 191-221.
Manhas, R.K., Negi, J.D.S., Rajesh, K. & Chauhan, P.S. (2006) Temporal
assessment of growing stock, biomass and carbon stock of Indian
forests. Climatic Change, 74, 191-221.
Marland, G., Schlamadinger, B. & Leiby, P. (1997) Forest biomass based
mitigation strategies: does the timing of carbon reductions, matter?
Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology,
27, 213-226.
Negi, J.D.S., Manhas, R.K. & Chauhan, P.S. (2003) Carbon allocation
in different components of some tree species of India: A new
approach for carbon estimation. Current Science, 85(11), 1528-
1531.
Nikita, M. (2012, February 13) Tribal Districts Show Heavy Forest
Degradation. Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/
2012/02/13/tribal-districts-show-heavy-forest-degradation/
Pan, Y., Birdsey, R.A., Fang, J., Houghton, R., Kauppi, P.E., Kurz, W.A.,
Phillips, O.L., Shvidenko, A., Lewis, S.L., Canadell, J.G., Ciais,P.,
Jackson, R.B., Pacala, S., McGuire, A.D., Piao, S., Rautiainen, A.,
Sitch, S. & Hayes, D. (2011) A large and persistent carbon sink in
the world´s forests. Science Express, 333, 988-993.
Prasad, J.V.N.S., Srinivas, K., Srinivasa R.Ch., Ramesh, Ch., Venkatravamma,
K. & Venkateswarlu, B. (2012) Biomass productivity and
carbon stocks of farm forestry and agroforestry systems of leucaena
and eucalyptus in Andhra Pradesh, India. Current Science
103(5), 536-540.
Prasad, V.K., Badarinath, K.V.S. & Anuradha, E. (2008) Biophysical and
anthropogenic controls of forest fires in the Deccan Plateau, India.
Journal of Environmental Management, 86(1), 1-13.
Ravindranath, N.H., Somashekar, B.S. & Gadgil, M. (1997) Carbon flow
in Indian forests, Climatic Change, 35(3), 297-320.
Sedjo, R.A., Sohngen, B. & Jagger, P. (1998) Carbon Sinks in the Post-
Kyoto World. RFF Climate Issue Brief No. 13, Internet Edition.
Sharma, C.M., Baduni, N.P., Gairola, S., Ghildiyal, S.K. & Suyal, S. (2010)
Tree diversity and carbon stocks of some major forest types of
Garhwal Himalaya, India. Forest Ecology and Management, 260,
2170-2179.
Sharma, C.M., Gairola, S., Baduni, N.P., Ghildiyal, S.K. & Suyal, S. (2011)
Variation in carbon stocks on different slope aspects in seven
major forest types of temperate region of Garhwal Himalaya,
India. J. Biosci., 36(4), 701-8.
Sheikh, M.A., Munesh, K., Rainer, W., Bussman and NP Todaria, (2011)
Forest carbon stocks and fluxes in physiographic zones of India.
Carbon Balance and Management, 6(15), 1-10.
Singh, J.S., Tiwari, A.K. & Saxena, A.K. (1985) Himalayan forests: A net
source of carbon to the atmosphere. Environmental Conservation,
12, 67-69.
The state of forestry in the country and major trends. (1995) Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Department.
Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/w7716e/
w7716e06.htm
The State of the Forest Report 1987. (1988) FSI Report, Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Dehradun, India.
The State of the Forest Report 1995. (1995) FSI Report, Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Dehradun, India.
Van Der Werf, G.R., Morton, D.C., DeFries, R.S., Olivier, J.G.J., Kasibhatla,
P.S., Jackson, R.B., Collatz, G.J. & Randerson, J.T. (2009) CO2
emissions from forest loss, Nature Geoscience, 2, 737-738.
Van Noordwijk, M., Cerri, C., Woomer, P.L., Nugroho, K. & Bernoux, M.
(1997) Soil carbon dynamics in the humid tropical forest zone.
Geoderma, 79(1-4), 187-225.
Retrieved from http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.
aspx?relid=78614
Forest Act blamed for shrinking green cover in Andhra Pradesh. (2012,
April 27) Retrieved from http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.
com/2012-04-27/flora-fauna/31421115_1_forest-land-forestrights-
act-forest-officials
Forest fires main cause of drop in green cover in AP: Survey. (2012, February
24) Retrieved from http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.
com/2012-02-24/flora-fauna/31094761_1_forest-fires-forestsurvey-
forest-department
Gowri, C.R.S. (2012, December 15) 36.44 sq km of AP’s forest vanishes
in a year. Retrieved from http://archives.deccanchronicle.
com/121215/news-current-affairs/article/3644-sq-kmap%
E2%80%99s-forest-vanishes-year
Hairiah, K., Sitompul, S.M., Van Noordwijk, M. & Cheryl, P. (2001) Methods
for sampling carbon stocks above and below ground. ASB
Lecture Note 4B. ICRAF, Bogor, Indonesia.
Haripriya, G.S. (2002) Biomass carbon of truncated diameter classes in
Indian forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 168, 1-13.
Hirano, T., Segah, H., Harada, T., Limin, S., June, T., Hirata, R. & Osaki, M.
(2007) Carbon dioxide balance of a tropical peat swamp forest
in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Global Change Biology, 13, 412-425.
Hitz, S. & Smith, J. (2004) Estimating global impacts from climate
change. Global Environmental Change, 14, 201-218.
Hooijer, A., Page, S., Canadell, J.G., Silvius, M., Kwadijk, J., Wösten, H.
& Jauhiainen, J. (2010) Current and future CO2 emissions from
drained peatlands in Southeast Asia. Biogeosciences, 7, 1505-
1514.
Champion, H.G. & Seth, S.K. (1968) A revised survey of the forest types
of India. Delhi: Manager of Publications, 1968.
Chapin, F., Matson, P. & Mooney, H. (2002) Principles of terrestrial ecosystem
ecology. Springer, New York.
Chetan, C. (2011, April 1) ‘Land mafia paying tribals for forest encroachment’.
Retrieved from http://www.hindustantimes.com/
delhi/land-mafia-paying-tribals-for-forest-encroachment/story-
6G0FVHJugeTHAQr9MDdQsN.html
Chhabra, A, Palria, S, Dadhwal, V.K. (2002) Growing stock based forest
biomass estimate for India. Biomass and Bioenergy, 22(3), 187-
194.
IGBP (International Geoshpere Bioshpere Programme) Report. (1998)
The terrestrial carbon cycle: Implications for the Kyoto Protocol.
Science, 280, 1393-139
India’s forest cover decreasing: FSI. (2012, February 9) Retrieved from
http://www.governancenow.com/views/think-tanks/india-sforest-
cover-decreasing-fsi
Indian State of Forest Report 2009. (2009) Ministry of Environment &
Forests, Government of India. Retrieved from http://www.webline.
co.in/fsi/sfr2009/chapter5.pdf
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change). (1995) Guidelines
for greenhouse gas inventory workbook, Volume 2, Module 5 –
Land Use Change and Forestry, Report prepared by UNEP, OECD,
IEA and IPCC, 5.1-5.45.
Irvin, K.S., Alfred, G. & Yousif, A.H. (2012) Estimation of tropical forest
biomass for assessment of carbon sequestration using regression
models and remote sensing in Berau, East Kalimantan,
Indonesia. Retrieved from http://a-a-r-s.org/aars/proceeding/
ACRS2007/Papers/PS2.G2.3.pdf
Jeevan, C. (2002, December 18) Struggle against eviction gaining
momentum. The Hindu. Retrieved from http://www.hindu.
com/2002/12/18/stories/2002121801400500.htm
Johnson, M.G. & Kern, J.S. (2002) Quantifying the organic carbon held
in forested soils of the United States and Puerto Rico. In: The
potential of U.S. forest soils to sequester carbon and mitigate
the greenhouse effect. CRC Press, 2002, ISBN 1-56670-583-5,
pp. 47-72.
Kaul, M., Mohren, G.M.J. & Dadhwal, V.K. (2010) Carbon storage and
sequestration potential of selected tree species in India. Mitigation
and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 15, 489-510.
Kumar, S.S. (2012, February 8) India’s forest cover declines. Retrieved
from http://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/indias-forest-coverdeclines-
35917
Lal, M. & Singh, R. (2000) Carbon sequestration potential of Indian forests.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 60, 315-27.
Malhi, Y., Meir, P. & Brown, S. (2002) Forests, carbon and global climate.
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A, 360, 1567-1591.
Manhas, R.K., Negi, J.D.S., Rajesh K. & Chauhan P.S. (2006) Temporal Assessment
of Growing Stock, Biomass and Carbon Stock of Indian
Forests. Climatic Change (2006) 74, 191-221.
Manhas, R.K., Negi, J.D.S., Rajesh, K. & Chauhan, P.S. (2006) Temporal
assessment of growing stock, biomass and carbon stock of Indian
forests. Climatic Change, 74, 191-221.
Marland, G., Schlamadinger, B. & Leiby, P. (1997) Forest biomass based
mitigation strategies: does the timing of carbon reductions, matter?
Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology,
27, 213-226.
Negi, J.D.S., Manhas, R.K. & Chauhan, P.S. (2003) Carbon allocation
in different components of some tree species of India: A new
approach for carbon estimation. Current Science, 85(11), 1528-
1531.
Nikita, M. (2012, February 13) Tribal Districts Show Heavy Forest
Degradation. Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/
2012/02/13/tribal-districts-show-heavy-forest-degradation/
Pan, Y., Birdsey, R.A., Fang, J., Houghton, R., Kauppi, P.E., Kurz, W.A.,
Phillips, O.L., Shvidenko, A., Lewis, S.L., Canadell, J.G., Ciais,P.,
Jackson, R.B., Pacala, S., McGuire, A.D., Piao, S., Rautiainen, A.,
Sitch, S. & Hayes, D. (2011) A large and persistent carbon sink in
the world´s forests. Science Express, 333, 988-993.
Prasad, J.V.N.S., Srinivas, K., Srinivasa R.Ch., Ramesh, Ch., Venkatravamma,
K. & Venkateswarlu, B. (2012) Biomass productivity and
carbon stocks of farm forestry and agroforestry systems of leucaena
and eucalyptus in Andhra Pradesh, India. Current Science
103(5), 536-540.
Prasad, V.K., Badarinath, K.V.S. & Anuradha, E. (2008) Biophysical and
anthropogenic controls of forest fires in the Deccan Plateau, India.
Journal of Environmental Management, 86(1), 1-13.
Ravindranath, N.H., Somashekar, B.S. & Gadgil, M. (1997) Carbon flow
in Indian forests, Climatic Change, 35(3), 297-320.
Sedjo, R.A., Sohngen, B. & Jagger, P. (1998) Carbon Sinks in the Post-
Kyoto World. RFF Climate Issue Brief No. 13, Internet Edition.
Sharma, C.M., Baduni, N.P., Gairola, S., Ghildiyal, S.K. & Suyal, S. (2010)
Tree diversity and carbon stocks of some major forest types of
Garhwal Himalaya, India. Forest Ecology and Management, 260,
2170-2179.
Sharma, C.M., Gairola, S., Baduni, N.P., Ghildiyal, S.K. & Suyal, S. (2011)
Variation in carbon stocks on different slope aspects in seven
major forest types of temperate region of Garhwal Himalaya,
India. J. Biosci., 36(4), 701-8.
Sheikh, M.A., Munesh, K., Rainer, W., Bussman and NP Todaria, (2011)
Forest carbon stocks and fluxes in physiographic zones of India.
Carbon Balance and Management, 6(15), 1-10.
Singh, J.S., Tiwari, A.K. & Saxena, A.K. (1985) Himalayan forests: A net
source of carbon to the atmosphere. Environmental Conservation,
12, 67-69.
The state of forestry in the country and major trends. (1995) Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Department.
Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/w7716e/
w7716e06.htm
The State of the Forest Report 1987. (1988) FSI Report, Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Dehradun, India.
The State of the Forest Report 1995. (1995) FSI Report, Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Dehradun, India.
Van Der Werf, G.R., Morton, D.C., DeFries, R.S., Olivier, J.G.J., Kasibhatla,
P.S., Jackson, R.B., Collatz, G.J. & Randerson, J.T. (2009) CO2
emissions from forest loss, Nature Geoscience, 2, 737-738.
Van Noordwijk, M., Cerri, C., Woomer, P.L., Nugroho, K. & Bernoux, M.
(1997) Soil carbon dynamics in the humid tropical forest zone.
Geoderma, 79(1-4), 187-225.
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How to Cite
Prasad, P. R. C., & Lakshmi, P. M. (2015). Estimation of biomass density and carbon storage in the forests of Andhra Pradesh, India, with emphasis on their deforestation and degradation conditions. European Journal of Ecology, 1(1), 52-63. https://doi.org/10.1515/eje-2015-0007
