Assessment of Pinus gerardiana carbon stock in Chilgoza Forest of Suleiman Range, Pakistan

Forests absorb 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually almost about one-third of that released annually by burning fossil fuels. But this great storage system also means that cutting down forests have great impact. Pinus gerardiana is known for its high value edible seeds (nuts) locally called as “Chilghoza”. As the potential economic benefits of Chilghoza to local livelihoods is worth billions of rupees annually thus economic importance is always given priority and its most important role of the maintenance and protection of vital ecosystem services is undermined. Climate Change is the biggest threat to humanity and ecosystems. The forestry sector has been recognized as the most important climate change mitigation option and the mechanism of REDD+ has been developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, for which forest carbon stock assessments and monitoring is essential. Therefore, this study was conducted to ascertain the carbon stock of Pinus gerardiana at the landscape level. The study concluded that a total carbon stock of Pinus gerardiana in the study area was 170772.854t with an average density of 9.195461t/ha. In the study area, higher percentage of the trees were in sub-mature and young stages thus having a high potential for REDD+ as generally the growth rate in these stages is fast and they can sequester a large quantity of carbon dioxide. The findings of the study will be helpful in preparation of forest management plans and in developing REDD+ projects. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES