Spatiotemporal changes of carbon storage in Çaltepe Forest Planning Unit

Abstract

Forest ecosystems play a crucial role in mitigating climate change as they are the largest carbon sinks. The objective of this study was to reveal the potential effects of forest dynamics on carbon sequestration and to contribute to planning studies. In this study, the changes in biomass and carbon storage areas in the 1999 and 2014 planning periods of the Çaltepe Forest Planning Unit. This calculation was carried out using widely accepted guidelines and coefficients, and the spatial distribution of biomass and C storage was mapped using GIS. As a result, the total biomass of the forested area increased by 53.42% in the period 1999-2014, from 781039.2 Mg to 1198263.51 Mg. On the other hand, the total amount of carbon storage increased from 1146019.35 Mg to 1448400.56 Mg in the period 1999-2014, an increase of about 26.39%. The contributions to the carbon (C) pool came from soil organic carbon with 60.12% and 53.28% of total C storage; from aboveground with 26.64% and 32.38%; from belowground with 7.66% and 9.27%; from litter with 5.33% and 4.77%; and from deadwood with 0.25% and 0.30% in 1999 and 2014, respectively. The average annual C sequestration was 1.95 Mg ha-1 yr-1, of which 1.06 Mg ha-1 yr-1 occurred in aboveground, 0.53 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in soil, 0.3 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in belowground, 0.05 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in litter and 0.01 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in deadwood. Results have shown that; to increase the amount of biomass and carbon sequestration capacity in forest areas, it is necessary to increase maintenance activities, select appropriate species in afforestation areas, and ensure sustainable carbon management by reducing social pressure on forests. As long as the sustainability of carbon pools on land is ensured, the effects of climate change will be mitigated.