Trees biomass and carbon stock assessment of temperate forest in Himachal Pradesh, north-western Himalaya

The temperate forests in the Western Himalaya play a crucial role in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. However, there is limited information on the biomass and carbon stock of these forests, particularly in specific regions like Maharaja Valley, Kullu. Therefore, our study aims to assess and quantify the carbon stock in the forest vegetation of Buragran Village. By estimating carbon stocks, this research seeks to provide valuable insights into the region's carbon sequestration potential, aiding conservation efforts and climate change mitigation strategies. Total of 300m2 (0.03 Ha) was sampled. Total of 20 trees were recorded in the sampled plots. Pinus Roxburghii was the most dominant one in all the quadrates with 100% detection frequency. This finding suggests that the dominant species has a significant influence on the composition and structure of the community within the study site. Our overall results shows that the highest CBH (Circumference at Breast Height) of Pinus Roxburghii tree recorded is 158.49 cm with highest basal area of 0.199 m2/ha. This indicates that Pinus tree with highest CBH will also have maximum basal area. The maximum AGC will also be present in the tree which has highest height (i.e., 41m and the minimum AGC is present in lowest height (i.e., 13.7) and we see the similar trends for below ground biomass and below ground carbon. Our quadrate data provides valuable initial insights into the dominance of a particular species, the study acknowledges the potential for more species to occur within the area due to the limited number of samples and area covered. A more comprehensive sampling effort will be crucial to revealing the true extent of species diversity and enriching our understanding of the ecological dynamics at play in the ecologically important region.