Carbon concentrations and carbon storage capacity of three old-growth forests in the Sila National Park,Southern Italy

Old-growth forests play a key-role in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) concentrations by storing large CO_(2)amounts in biomass and soil over time.This quantifies the carbon pool into different forest compartments in three Mediterranean old-growth forests of Southern Italy populated by Pinus laricio,Fagus sylvatica and Abies alba.Ecosystem carbon pools have been assessed per compartment,i.e.,living trees,dead wood,litterfall(foliar and woody),roots and 0-20 cm topsoil,combining the whole old-growth forest mass,(i.e.,using tree allometric relationships,deadwood factor conversions,root-to-shoot ratios,litterfall and soil samplings) by the respective organic carbon concentrations.The results show the considerable capacity of these forest ecosystems in storing CO_(2)in biomass and soil,with carbon pool values ranging from 532.2to 596.5 Mg C ha-1.Living trees and 0-20 cm topsoil had larger carbon pool,contributing 53.0 and 22.1%,respectively.In most cases,organic carbon concentration was higher(more than 60%) than the average carbon conversion rate of 50%,especially in living trees,deadwood,and woody litterfall.This study contributes further scientific evidence of the capacity of old-growth forests in storing CO_(2)in their different compartments,with special evidence on tree biomass,litterfall and mineral soil,thereby highlighting the key role of old-growth forests within the challenge of climate change mitigation.

Developing Carbon Sequestration Forestry for Mitigating Climate Change: Practice and Management of Carbon Sequestration Forestry in China

By elaborating the functions and effects of forestry in mitigating climate change, introducing the concepts and significance of forest carbon sink, forestry carbon sequestration, and carbon sequestration forestry, and summarizing the practices of carbon sequestration forestry in China, the paper came up with the outline for strengthening the management of carbon sequestration forestry, i.e. implementing the Climate Change Forestry Action Plan, reinforcing the accounting and monitoring of national forest carbon sink and the management of the qualification of carbon sink accounting project teams, and carrying out pilot researches on low-carbon forestry for achieving low-carbon economy. The study was aimed to ensure that the forestry sector can fulfill its responsibility to mitigate climate change and contribute to mitigating the global warming.

Current Status and Development Prospect of Carbon Sequestration Forestry in China

Carbon sequestration forestry plays an important role in climate change and global warming mitigation, and thus gains more and more attention around the world. The paper introduced the concept, the significance and the status of carbon sequestration forestry in China, discussed existing issues and put forward countermeasures and suggestions to address these issues. Finally, development prospect of carbon sequestration forestry was analyzed.