Structural traits and carbon storage potential of tree and pole vegetation in three land-use types in Ngargoyoso, Central Java, Indonesia

Hanum U, Armadhan WS, Hanun Z, Shafa Z, Ningtyas SRA, Nur AAI, Indrawan M, Sunarto, Sugiyarto, Setyawan AD. 2025. Structural traits and carbon storage potential of tree and pole vegetation in three land-use types in Ngargoyoso, Central Java, Indonesia. Cell Biol Dev 9: 37-53. Understanding the relationship between plant structural characteristics and carbon storage is not just essential for ecological management and climate mitigation, but also highly relevant and applicable. This study investigates how Aboveground Biomass (AGB) and carbon stock correlate with the structural traits of tree and pole vegetation across three land-use types: pine forest, agroforestry, and rubber plantation in Ngargoyoso Sub-district, Central Java, Indonesia. Field sampling was conducted using 90 plots divided equally across the sites, with vegetation categorized into trees (DBH>20 cm) and poles (DBH 10-20 cm). Non-destructive measurements of diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height were used to estimate biomass through species-specific allometric equations. Carbon stock was then calculated using a standardized conversion factor (0.47×AGB). The results show that agroforestry systems exhibit the highest total carbon stock (82.46 MgC/ha), followed by rubber forest (81.41 MgC/ha) and pine forest (66.29 MgC/ha). Variations in carbon accumulation are strongly influenced by vegetation composition, structural diversity, and DBH distribution. The predominance of fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing species such as Leucaena leucocephala in agroforestry contributed to higher biomass accumulation. These findings emphasize the practical implications of this study, highlighting the importance of structural traits such as DBH and height, which reflect physiological growth status and are key determinants in carbon storage capacity across different vegetation types.