Moroccan Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2024): (June 2024)
Natural Resources and Forestry

Aboveground biomass and carbon storage of the ten dominant plant species in the Kikungu forest, DR Congo

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  • Bonaventure MASENS,
  • Cyrille BRIKI,
  • Godé YAYA,
  • Santos KAVUMBU,
  • Jean-Paul Koto-Te-Nyiwa NGBOLUA
Bonaventure MASENS Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, République Démocratique du Congo
Cyrille BRIKI Université de Kikwit, Kikwit, République Démocratique du Congo
Godé YAYA Université de Kikwit, Kikwit, République Démocratique du Congo
Santos KAVUMBU Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, République Démocratique du Congo
Jean-Paul Koto-Te-Nyiwa NGBOLUA
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0066-8153 (unauthenticated) Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, République démocratique du Congo

Published 2024-06-15

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Abstract

This study, conducted in the Kikungu forest, focused on ten plant species: Anisophyllea polyneura Floret, Alstonia boonei De Wild., Brachystegia laurentii (De Wild.) Louis, Celtis tessmannii Rendle, Distemonanthus benthamianus Baill., Homalium longistylum Mast., Petersianthus macrocarpus (Beauv.) Liben, Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw.) Warb., Tridemostemon omphalocarpoides Engl. and Trilepisium madagascariense Lam. ex Poir. The selection of these species was guided by their dimensions and frequency within the studied forest. This research evaluated the produced aboveground biomass (litter, twigs, flowers, and fruits), as well as estimated the amount of carbon stored in this litter, root and stem bark of four individuals among these species. The results were grouped into three classes of aboveground biomass. The obtained aboveground biomass values are 32.7 t/ha for species with a diameter at breast height (dbh) ranging from 26.7 to 39.8 cm, 39.0 t/ha for the dbh class ranging from 55.7 to 89.2 cm, and 36.5 t/ha for the emergent trees (dbh ? 92.6 cm). The total value of carbon sequestered by the four selected individuals for litter, root bark, and stems is 4.76 t/ha. The average dbh of these species is 19.5 cm. The height of the studied trees varies from 15 to 45 meters. Practically, these results can guide conservation and sustainable forest management efforts to maintain effective carbon storage. They can also be used to assess the impacts of human activities such as logging or climate change on the amount of carbon stored in the forest. Scientifically, these results enrich knowledge on forest ecosystem dynamics, especially regarding aboveground biomass production and carbon storage, which can contribute to improving climate change prediction models and formulating more effective conservation policies.

Keywords: Carbon sequestration, aboveground biomass, Kikungu forest massif, Plant species, Tree dimensions

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References