PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 103: Forest Ecology : Carbon Stocks and Cycling
Wednesday, August 10, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Meeting Room 520 C, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
The effects of management on carbon pool sizes at Missouri Ozark experimental forests.
Chen, Jiquan*,1, Li, Qinglin1, Jensen, Randy2, Moorhead, Daryl1, DeForest, Jared1, Kabrick, John3, 1 The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA2 The Missouri Department of Conservation RR2 Box198, Ellington, MO, USA3 The USDA, Forest Service North Central Research Station, Columbia, MO, USA
ABSTRACT- We quantified the amount of carbon stored in aboveground plant biomass, standing dead trees, coarse woody debris (CWD), forest floor, and mineral soil in 9 years post harvesting treatment experiment of oak-hickory stands at Missouri Ozark experimental forests. The total carbon pools were 216, 165, and 127 Mg C ha-1 for the non-harvest (NHM), singletree uneven-age cut (UAM), and clear-cut even-age (EAM) stands, respectively. Forest harvesting did not change the species compositions, but significantly (p= 0.05) affected the aboveground biomass, CWD and soil C pools. The Ecological Land Type Phase also significantly affects aboveground biomass. Among all the independent predictors, stand tree (DBH > 3.81 cm) density was the most significant predictor for the variation of the aboveground carbon pools. Harvesting altered the time required for carbon pools to cycle through the forests. It was obviously that the harvesting reduced carbon storages in aboveground biomass (17% by UAM, 97% by EAM) and roots (27% by UAM, 38% by EAM), but it also increased CDW and forest floor carbon pools by 35% (UAM), and 91% (EAM). Uneven aged management significantly increased mineral carbon pool by 13%, while even aged management only slightly increased (1%) soil carbon. This baseline information will help us derive landscape and/or regional level carbon storage analysis by using remote sensing or other approaches.
Key words: Carbon Storage, Forest disturbance, Oak-hickory-pine forest, MOFEP (Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project)