Stand carbon storage and net primary production in China's subtropical secondary forests are predicted to increase by 2060

Jia Jin; Wenhua Xiang; Yelin Zeng; Shuai Ouyang; Xiaolu Zhou; Yanting Hu; Zhonghui Zhao; Liang Chen; Pifeng Lei; Xiangwen Deng; Hui Wang; Shirong Liu; Changhui Peng

doi:10.1186/s13021-022-00204-y

Stand carbon storage and net primary production in China's subtropical secondary forests are predicted to increase by 2060

Carbon Balance Manag. 2022 May 26;17(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s13021-022-00204-y.

Authors

Jia Jin^{1

2}, Wenhua Xiang^{3

4}, Yelin Zeng¹, Shuai Ouyang^{1

2}, Xiaolu Zhou⁵, Yanting Hu^{1

2}, Zhonghui Zhao^{1

2}, Liang Chen^{1

2}, Pifeng Lei^{1

2}, Xiangwen Deng^{1

2}, Hui Wang⁶, Shirong Liu⁶, Changhui Peng^{5

7}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, No. 498 Southern Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China.
² Huitong National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Chinese Fir Plantation Ecosystems in Hunan Province, Huitong, 438107, Hunan, China.
³ Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, No. 498 Southern Shaoshan Road, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China. xiangwh2005@163.com.
⁴ Huitong National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Chinese Fir Plantation Ecosystems in Hunan Province, Huitong, 438107, Hunan, China. xiangwh2005@163.com.
⁵ School of Geographic Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China.
⁶ Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.
⁷ Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Environment Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Forest ecosystems play an important role in carbon sequestration, climate change mitigation, and achieving China's target to become carbon (C) neutral by 2060. However, changes in C storage and net primary production (NPP) in natural secondary forests stemming from tree growth and future climate change have not yet been investigated in subtropical areas in China. Here, we used data from 290 inventory plots in four secondary forests [evergreen broad-leaved forest (EBF), deciduous and evergreen broad-leaved mixed forest (DEF), deciduous broad-leaved forest (DBF), and coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest (CDF)] at different restoration stages and run a hybrid model (TRIPLEX 1.6) to predict changes in stand carbon storage and NPP under two future climate change scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5).

Results: The runs of the hybrid model calibrated and validated by using the data from the inventory plots suggest significant increase in the carbon storage by 2060 under the current climate conditions, and even higher increase under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate change scenarios. In contrast to the carbon storage, the simulated EBF and DEF NPP declines slightly over the period from 2014 to 2060.

Conclusions: The obtained results lead to conclusion that proper management of China's subtropical secondary forests could be considered as one of the steps towards achieving China's target to become carbon neutral by 2060.

Keywords: Carbon (C) storage; Climate change; Forest restoration; Net primary production (NPP); TRIPLEX model.

Abstract

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