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Assessment of Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a Tropical Dry

Deciduous Forest Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

Article in Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies · January 2021

DOI: 10.1142/S2345748120500219

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Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies
Vol. 8, No. 4 (2020) 2050021 (17 pages)
© World Scientific Publishing Company and
Social Sciences Academic Press (China)
DOI: 10.1142/S2345748120500219

Assessment of Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a Tropical Dry

Deciduous Forest Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

† ‡
Subhajit KARMAKAR*, Bhabani Sankar PRADHAN , Ankit BHARDWAJ , B. K. PAVAN§,
Rishabh CHATURVEDI¶ and Pradeep CHAUDHRY||
Indian Institute of Forest Management, P. O. Box 357
Nehru Nagar, Bhopal 462003, Madhya Pradesh, India
*skarmakar21@[Link]
†
bspradhan21@[Link]
‡
abhardwaj21@[Link]
§
pavanbk21@[Link]
¶
rchaturvedi21@[Link]
||
pradeepifs@[Link]

This study estimated 18.35 Mg C/ha in standing biomass of natural forest and 15 Mg C/ha in
Hardwickia binata Roxb. plantation in a tropical dry deciduous forest located in the capital city of
Madhya Pradesh. The study area of Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal,
resembled a degraded dry scrubland in 1988 and for over about three decades, the degraded forest
recovered remarkably, and ecological processes evolved favorably with canopy cover reaching
over 60% in some patches and about 50% in general at most part of the campus. The study was
conducted in 18 randomly laid plots in natural forest and over one-acre (0.405-ha) plantation area
of Hardwickia binata for assessing the above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass and sub-
sequent carbon content. The lower-diameter classes accounted for the maximum above-ground
biomass, basal area and tree density. The forest is predominantly occupied by Leucaena leuco-
cephala, an exotic tree species which showed higher standing biomass carbon storage of 3.79 Mg
C/ha followed by Holoptelea integrifolia (2.11 Mg C/ha), Azadirachta indica (1.29 Mg C/ha),
Gardenia latifolia (1.26 Mg C/ha) and Lannea coromandelica (1.24 Mg C/ha) besides Hard-
wickia binata plantation (15 Mg C/ha). It is recommended to plant and promote local native tree
species in the urban forests of tropical dry deciduous nature as a means to mitigate climate change
effects.

Keywords: Above-ground biomass; carbon stock; basal area; urban forest; tropical dry deciduous
forest; carbon dioxide sequestration.

1. Introduction
Tropical forests are one of the most important biomes on Earth. They are home to more
than half of the planet’s living beings, containing 40% of the carbon stored as terrestrial
biomass and contributing for 30–50% of the photosynthesis (Malhi et al., 1998). Forests
play a vital role in global carbon flux as they act as carbon sinks, reservoirs and carbon
sources by storing large quantities of carbon over a long period of time. Biomass usually

*Corresponding author.

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Subhajit KARMAKAR et al.

refers to the mass of living plants such as trees, shrubs, grasses and herbs, but sometimes
dead plant material is also included. Therefore, a huge amount of carbon is stored in plants
due to sequestration and storage through photosynthesis. India is the eighth among the
top 10 most biodiverse countries (Butler, 2016), with 24.65% (810,310 km 2 ) of its
geographical area (3,287,263 km 2 ) under forest and tree cover (Ministry of Environment
& Forests, 2017). India is a major developing country known for its diverse ecosystems
and biological diversity. The diversity of forest types in the country makes it more resilient
to climate change and also an efficient carbon sink. But unfortunately, tropical dry de-
ciduous forests (TDFs) which occupy the highest percentage of area in India are dis-
appearing at an alarming rate owing to enhanced biotic pressures and deforestation for
extracting timber and other forest products like medicines, fodder, fuelwood, honey,
bamboo and small wood (Laurance, 1999; Murphy and Lugo, 1986; Raghubanshi and
Tripathi, 2009). Meanwhile, the dry deciduous forest cover in most parts of Central India
is being converted into dry deciduous scrub, dry savanna and dry grasslands which are
progressively poor species (Sagar and Singh, 2005). Over the past 25 years, global carbon
stocks in forest biomass decreased by almost 17.4 Gt, equivalent to a reduction of 697
million tons per year or about 2.5 Gt of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) (Ministry of Environment,
Forest & Climate Change, 2019), which poses a critical threat to human survival. Healthy
and growing forests sequester and store more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem
(Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, 2019). Recently, carbon sequestra-
tion by forests has attracted much attention globally due to the prevalence of concepts
including urban greening and also since it is a relatively inexpensive means of mitigating
climate change. In respect of India, few and sporadic studies on forest carbon are available
for carbon dioxide mitigation assessment (Ravindranath and Ostwald, 2008). Although
several studies have been carried out on biomass/carbon stock estimations in India, they
are sporadic and patchy dealing with particular forest ecosystem and methodology
(Salunkhe et al., 2018). In a densely populated country like India, urban forests are always
under tremendous anthropogenic pressures, and maintaining floral diversity is a big
challenge for the concerned authorities. Studies on the carbon stock assessment of urban
TDF ecosystems in Indian subcontinent have not been reported; therefore, this study is a
step towards filling this research gap and identifying potential local tree species contrib-
uting more efficiently to carbon storage and carbon sequestration. This paper deals with
the TDFs in Bhopal, the capital city of a Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The
urban forest in the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) Campus is located at
longitude 77
23′30″ and latitude 23
14′30″ with the highest elevation at an altitude of
509.8 m above mean sea level (Kotwal et al., 2004). The institute is situated on a hilly
patch/area covering 80.64 ha with the forest cover comprising mainly of tree species like
Lannea coromandelica, Leucaena leucocephala, Anogeissus latifolia, Wrightia tinctoria,
Lagerstroemia parviflora, Diospyros melanoxylon, Acacia catechu and other associated
species. This study was conducted in the campus during the first two months of 2020 to
assess the above- and below-ground carbon pools in an urban TDF ecosystem, which
could be potentially used for further studies in areas with the same forest type across the
Indian subcontinent.

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 Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a TDF Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

Table 1. Categorization of study area according to the

forest canopy density (FCD).

Category of area FCD Area (ha)

Dense forest 0.65–0.8 19.61

Moderately dense forest 0.45–0.65 29.36
Grassland and scrub forest 0.15–0.45 26.46
Built-up area Below 0.15 5.21

Total 80.64

2. Study Area
The study area is covered under the Vindhyan hill range with gentle slopes ranging from 0

to 5
and at some places reaching 35
. The area is generally covered by sandstone of
Vindhyan formation. Alluvial soils occur at the foothills, where some moisture-loving
plants like Alstonia scholaris, Terminalia arjuna, Syzygium cumini and Bauhinia racemosa
have been planted near the campus main gate. The average rainfall in the campus is around
1,000 mm, mostly received during the rainy season (July–September). The minimum
temperature during winter falls to 7
C and maximum in summer rises up to 45
C (Kotwal
et al., 2004). The soil in the region is derived from upper Vindhyan basalt formation. The
Vindhyan structure supports both mixed deciduous forests and pure teak forests. The soil in
the study area is sandy loam on the upper portion and alluvial in the low-lying areas. In the
higher part, the soil is shallow and the plants grow slow, while in the lower hillock side, the
soil is medium deep and generally support luxuriant vegetation.

Fig. 1. IIFM Campus view with surroundings.

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Subhajit KARMAKAR et al.

The IIFM Campus (80.64 ha) has been categorized into four categories using the
“Enhanced Vegetation Index” (EVI). EVI, as a tool similar to the Normalized Difference
Vegetation Index (NDVI), can be used to quantify vegetation greenness across an area
using satellite imagery and Geographical Information System (GIS). Table 1 presents the
categories of the study area which is surrounded by dense human habitation on one side
and natural water bodies on the other three sides (Fig. 1).

3. Methodology
A total of 18 quadrates of 10 m10 m were laid randomly over the dense and moderately
dense forest areas at the campus during January in 2020. The quadrates were selected as
per convenience and were decided in such a manner that trees of maximum species fall
within the boundary of the selected plots to ensure that the overall population is well
represented by these quadrates. Quadrates were measured by measuring tapes, and ap-
propriate markings were made on the corners of the plots. In addition to the above 18 plots,
about one acre (1 ha ¼ 2:47 acre) of Hardwickia binata Roxb. (locally called Anjan)
plantation area was also included in this study [Figs. 2(a) and 2(b)]. This plantation was
raised during the year 1988 to ascertain the adaptability of this species to Bhopal city as the

(a)

Fig. 2. (a) Selected plots to carry out the study. (b) Hardwickia binata plantation raised during 1988.

2050021-4
 Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a TDF Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

(b)

Fig. 2. (Continued )

species is not native to the city. It is a purely rain-fed plantation with about 20% mortality
occurring at different periods, and about 80% of the trees are still doing well, though the
growth is stunted due to poor edaphic factors, i.e. soil and rocky terrain in this area. This
species is suited to arid and semi-arid regions where its roots can penetrate even the
calcium carbonate layer available below 80 cm of the ground (Singh and Singh, 2015).
The strategy considered for estimating the above-ground biomass (AGB), below-ground
mass (BGB) and carbon pool was restricted to the trees having more than 10-cm girth at
breast height (GBH) which is 1.37 m above the ground and identified at the species level.
In each sample plot (10 m  10 m quadrates), stratification in the forest was observed and
data was classified into diameter at breast height (DBH) classes for AGB, BGB and carbon
estimation by a non-destructive method. The overall height and GBH of all tree species
with GBH above 10 cm were recorded. The Christen hypsometer was used for measuring
the overall height while a measuring tape was used for recording the GBH of trees.
The five major carbon pools (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2006) are
BGB, AGB, Litter, Soil organic carbon and Deadwood (Fig. 3). However, this study has
estimated AGB and BGB by incorporating the non-destructive approach of carbon stock
estimation. The AGB of tree (  10-cm GBH) species was assessed using volume equa-
tions of different species available from the Forest Survey of India and Dehradun reports, or
using a suitable form factor for the species where the volume equations were not available.
The Global Wood Density database (GWD) was used for species-specific wood density
value (Chave et al., 2009; Zanne et al., 2016). Key data, i.e. tree height, DBH, volume and
AGB, are presented in Table 2, while the species volume equation and wood density of

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Subhajit KARMAKAR et al.

Source: Adopted from ISFR 2019 (Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, 2019).
Fig. 3. Five carbon pools in the forests.

Table 2. Variables of key species observed at the study area.

Species Minimum Maximum Mean Component Species Minimum Maximum Mean

Acacia catechu 2.5 9.9 4.8 Height (m) Holoptelea 4 12 8.67

(72) 4.94 17.83 10.48 DBH (cm) integrifolia (18) 5.73 46.82 29.94
0.01 0.09 0.03 Volume (m 3 ) 0.01 0.86 0.51
5.18 82.39 22.42 AGB (kg) 2.66 443.02 260.82
Anogeissus 7 10 7.75 Height (m) Lagerstroemia 8.5 10 9.17
latifolia (23) 9.55 26.11 14.09 DBH (cm) parviflora (18) 14.65 26.94 19.38
0.04 0.37 0.12 Volume (m 3 ) 0.07 0.28 0.15
27.74 296.05 97.23 AGB (kg) 44.39 176.65 93.7
Azadirachta 4.1 12.5 6.59 Height (m) Lannea cor- 1.5 9 5.31
indica (51) 4.78 25.48 15.61 DBH (cm) omandelica (105) 7.32 23.25 13.27
0.004 0.23 0.08 Volume (m 3 ) 0.01 0.19 0.05
2.53 158.22 55.68 AGB (kg) 2.9 103.1 26.61
Bauhinia var- 2 2.40 2.20 Height (m) Leucaena leucoce- 2 17.8 8.99
iegata (11) 7.01 7.96 7.48 DBH (cm) phala (167) 4.17 23.89 11
0 0.01 0.01 Volume (m 3 ) 0.003 0.04 0.06
3.24 4.94 4.09 AGB (kg) 2.40 255.10 37.43
Bombax ceiba 4.50 4.50 4.50 Height (m) Manilkara 4 5 4.67
(11) 9.55 9.87 9.71 DBH (cm) hexandra (17) 10.83 12.74 12.05
0.02 0.02 0.02 Volume (m 3 ) 0.02 0.03 0.03
7.45 7.95 7.70 AGB (kg) 21.85 37.8 32.17
Butea mono- 6 7.20 6.60 Height (m) Miliusa 3.5 7.5 5.55
sperma (11) 16.15 19.11 17.63 DBH (cm) tomentosa (28) 11.46 21.97 16.56
0.07 0.09 0.08 Volume (m 3 ) 0.02 0.14 0.07
35.36 41.27 38.32 AGB (kg) 11.38 89.55 43.9

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 Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a TDF Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

Table 2. (Continued )

Species Minimum Maximum Mean Component Species Minimum Maximum Mean

Careya arborea 3.5 4 3.75 Height (m) Mitragyna 6 6 6

(11) 7.64 7.96 7.80 DBH (cm) parvifolia (22) 6.05 9.87 8.04
0.01 0.01 0.01 Volume (m 3 ) 0.02 0.03 0.03
4.25 5.27 4.76 AGB (kg) 13.72 17.45 14.89
Cassia fistula 3 4.50 3.93 Height (m) Schleichera 2.50 5.70 4.57
(23) 5.10 11.15 8.20 DBH (cm) oleosa (17) 8.12 13.22 10.40
0.01 0.02 0.01 Volume (m 3 ) 0.01 0.05 0.03
4.40 19.66 10.66 AGB (kg) 11.02 39.86 22.43
Dalbergia 6 13 10 Height (m) Sterculia urens (33) 4.2 5.2 4.6
paniculata 11.78 21.02 15.13 DBH (cm) 12.58 18.63 15.61
(29) 0.05 0.14 0.07 Volume (m 3 ) 0.03 0.07 0.05
29.27 88.19 44.66 AGB (kg) 14.17 36.99 24.55
Dalbergia 14.50 14.50 14.50 Height (m) Syzygium cumini (6) 6.1 6.1 6.1
sissoo (6) 4.62 4.62 4.62 DBH (cm) 14.33 14.33 14.33
0.24 0.24 0.24 Volume (m 3 ) 0.05 0.05 0.05
179.69 179.69 179.69 AGB (kg) 37.37 37.37 37.37
Diospyros 1.6 5.5 3.30 Height (m) Terminalia alata (6) 9.5 9.5 9.5
melanoxylon 3.66 12.42 6.77 DBH (cm) 22.93 22.93 22.93
(11) 0.001 0.027 0.007 Volume (m 3 ) 0.37 0.37 0.37
0.73 18.18 4.99 AGB (kg) 278.91 278.91 278.91
Ficus religiosa 6.25 14 12.45 Height (m) Terminalia 7.2 10.6 8.9
(28) 13.38 24.84 18.85 DBH (cm) arjuna (11) 20.06 20.7 20.38
0.06 0.41 0.24 Volume (m 3 ) 0.14 0.21 0.18
22.54 158.69 92.4 AGB (kg) 128.32 201.1 164.71
Gardenia gum- 1.8 3.6 2.44 Height (m) Wrightia 1.8 5 4.04
mifera (28) 3.34 6.05 4.55 DBH (cm) tinctoria (56) 6.21 15.92 9.87
0.001 0.003 0.002 Volume (m 3 ) 0.003 0.05 0.02
0.48 1.97 1.26 AGB (kg) 2.04 37.32 13.19
Gardenia lati- 2.5 7.75 5.49 Height (m) Zizyphus 4 5 4.8
folia (222) 5.73 15.45 8.96 DBH (cm) xylopyrus (28) 5.73 14.01 8.85
0.01 0.14 0.04 Volume (m 3 ) 0.01 0.03 0.01
4.73 92.57 22.85 AGB (kg) 5.48 26.2 12.55
Hardwickia 5.8 7.68 6.82 Height (m)
binata Roxb. 9.25 16.75 1 DBH (cm)
(742) 0.02 0.1 0.06 Volume (m 3 )
17.06 74.09 42.61 AGB (kg)

Note: The figure within the parenthesis depicts the number of that tree species.

recorded tree species are summarized in Table 3. The formula for calculating above-ground
biomass was adopted as below (Rajput et al., 1996, p. 189; de Tanago et al., 2017; Meena
et al., 2019):
Above-ground biomass per tree ¼ Volume of tree  Wood density: ð3:1Þ

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Subhajit KARMAKAR et al.

The numbers of trees in quadrates of the study area of 1,800 m2 were extrapolated to 1 ha,
and AGB was calculated for 1 ha. Carbon stock or total woody carbon (TWC) was
estimated by: Biomass (Mg/ha)  C%, where C is the carbon concentration of the cor-
responding tree species.
Various studies indicate that carbon varies between 45% and 50% for different eco-
systems (Singh and Chand, 2012). Therefore, the carbon stock was estimated based on
AGB taking a lower figure of 0.45 or Carbon stock (kg) ¼ AGB per ha  0:45 which was
later extrapolated for the dense and moderately dense natural forest areas at the campus,
and the artificially raised Hardwickia binata Roxb. plantation for which a spacing of
12 feet  12 feet has been used in the analysis.

4. Results and Discussion

The AGB and corresponding carbon content of the tree species were calculated by the
equations mentioned in Table 3, and the results are listed in Table 4.
Large number of studies have quantified the importance of the size of the diameter in
storing the carbon pool (Baishya et al., 2009). The larger the diameter of the tree, the larger
its basal area (BA) will be, which in turn will result in more capacity to store AGB. In
contrast to this theory, there are also numerous studies supporting the carbon storing
potential of small and medium trees (Bora et al., 2013; Raha et al., 2020). In this study,
maximum BA was contributed by individuals in the DBH classes of 10–15 cm and 15–20
cm [8.60 m 2  ha 1 and 8.28 m 2  ha 1 , respectively; Fig. 4(c)], whereas maximum tree
density was contributed by individuals in the DBH classes of 10–15 cm and 5–10 cm [747
individuals  ha 1 and 724 individuals  ha 1 , respectively; Fig. 4(b)]. Maximum AGB
was observed for the trees belonging to the DBH class of 15–20 cm (25.4 Mg/ha). Con-
tribution of biomass in the DBH classes of 25–30 cm, 30–35 cm and 35–40 cm is very low
[Fig. 4(a)], leading to lesser carbon storage by the forest in question. This finding is not in
tune with the study of Delhi’s urban semi-arid forest ecosystem (Meena et al., 2019) where
higher DBH class (81–90 cm) contributed significantly to biomass (7.8 Mg/ha). Ap-
proximate age of forest in this study is about 32 years (since the establishment of the
institute in 1988), thereby the DBH classes above 35–40 cm are absent. Low site quality IV
is another factor responsible for lesser tree heights and DBH.
While calculating the results of individual species, it was observed that tree biomass
was a function of tree parameters like density, height and basal area which contributed to
the above-ground biomass which further differs with site, habitat, forest successional stage,
the composition of forest, species variability and varying tree density (Joshi and Ghose,
2014). At the same time, variation in biomass at various sites can be attributed to some
internal and external factors, such as forest type, site-to-site disturbances, total annual
rainfall and geographical location of the forests (Terakunpisut et al., 2007). Total
carbon stocks per ha in the natural forest of the campus were found to be 18.35 Mg/ha
(1 ton ¼ 1 Mg) and 15 Mg/ha for H. binata plantation, respectively, from our study.
Besides H. binata plantation, major tree species in the natural forest contributing to higher
biomass and carbon storage include Leucaena leucocephala, Holoptelea integrifolia,

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 Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a TDF Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

Table 3. Species’ wood densities and volume equations.

Wood
Species name density (kg/m 3 ) Allometric volume equations

Acacia catechu 880 V ¼ 0.048108 + 5.873169D 2

Anogeissus latifolia 790 V ¼ 0145667  2.704089D + 17.4656D 2  10.4903D 3
Azadirachta indica 690 V ¼ 0.03510 + 5.32981D 2
Bauhinia variegata 700 V ¼ 0.04262 + 6.09491D 2
Bombax ceiba 330 V/D 2 ¼ 0.18573/D 2 + 2.85418/D + 15.03576
Butea monosperma 480 V ¼ 0.18573  2.8541D + 15.03576D 2
pffiffiffiffi
Careya arborea 530 V ¼ 0.23738 + 2.33289D + 0.48512D
pffiffiffiffi
Cassia fistula 960 V ¼ 0.153973 + 2.724109D
Schleichera oleosa 850 V ¼ 0.094 + 0.376D + 2.817D 2
Dalbergia paniculata 640 V ¼ 0.18945  2.46215D + 10.54462D 2
Dalbergia sissoo 760 V/D 2 ¼ 0.00331/D 2 + 0.000636
Diospyros melanoxylon 680 V ¼ 0.15581  2.2075D + 9.17559D 2
pffiffiffiffi
Ficus religiosa 390 V ¼ 0.03629 + 3.95389D0.84421D
Gardenia gummifera 610 V ¼ (0.0697/(D 2 ) + (1.4597/D) + 11.79933  2.35397*D)*(D 2 )
Gardenia latifolia 640 V ¼ (0.0697/(D 2 ) + (1.4597/D) + 11.79933  2.35397*D)*(D 2 )
Hardwickia binata Roxb. 730 V ¼ 0.063632 + 5.355486D 3
Holoptelea integrifolia 515 V ¼ (0.0697/(D 2 ) + (1.4597/D) + 11.79933  2.35397*D)*(D 2 )
Lagerstroemia parviflora 620 V ¼ 0.06466  1.371984D + 9.629971D 2
Lannea coromandelica 540 V ¼ 0.046731  0.96206D + 7.301883D 2
Leucaena leucocephala 640 —
Manilkara hexandra 1,187 —
Miliusa tomentosa 630 —
Mitragyna parvifolia 560 V ¼ 0.099768  1.744274D + 10.086934D 2
Sterculia urens 543 —
Syzygium cumini 760 V ¼ 0.084811.81774D + 12.63047D 2 6.69555D 3
pffiffiffiffi
Terminalia alata 750 V ¼ 0.33695  1.23004 D + 11.86676D 2
Terminalia arjuna 940 —
Wrightia tinctoria 750 V ¼ 0.0289177.777047D 3
Zizyphus xylopyrus 850 V ¼ (0.0697/(D 2 ) + (1.4597/D + 11.79933  2.35397*D)*(D 2 )

Source: Chave et al. (2009), Zanne et al. (2016) and Ministry of Environment & Forests (2017).

Azadirachta indica, Gardenia latifolia, Lannea coromandelica, Ficus religiosa and

Anogeissuslatifolia (Tables 2–4). Upon extrapolating the above results on 48.5 ha of dense
and moderately dense forest areas of the study area and 0.405 ha (1 acre) of Hardwickia
binata plantation, the total carbon stock in the forest is estimated to be around 905 Mg. The
BGB for woody vegetation was assumed as 39% of AGB for the state of Madhya Pradesh
(Ministry of Environment & Forests, 2017). Hence, the below-ground carbon stock of tree
species can be safely estimated by multiplying the above-ground carbon stock value with
0.39. Therefore, the TDFs of the study area are storing above- and below-vegetation-based
1,258 Mg C or 4,613 Mg of CO2 equivalent (1258  44=12). Due to the absence of
laboratory-related infrastructure, soil carbon and other carbon components could not be
estimated. Carbon content based on AGB in this study (15  18:35 Mg C/ha) is

2050021-9
Subhajit KARMAKAR et al.

Table 4. Species-wise contribution of total carbon stock.

Species name Total carbon stock (kg/ha)

Acacia catechu 533.49

Anogeissus latifolia 1,069.90
Azadirachta indica 1,293.17
Bauhinia variegata 20.11
Bombax ceiba 32.67
Butea monosperma 173.87
Careya arborea 28.71
Cassia fistula 110.67
Dalbergia paniculata 585.42
Dalbergia sissoo 485.16
Diospyros melanoxylon 32.89
Ficus religiosa 1,163.51
Gardenia gummifera 15.03
Gardenia latifolia 1,268.20
Holoptelea integrifolia 2,112.62
Lagerstroemia parviflora 758.99
Lannea coromandelica 1,243.19
Leucaena leucocephala 3,793.29
Manilkara hexandra 241.46
Miliusa tomentosa 627.34
Mitragyna parvifolia 137.10
Schleichera oleosa 171.79
Sterculia urens 361.48
Syzygium cumini 100.90
Terminalia alata 753.05
Terminalia arjuna 810.30
Wrightia tinctoria 262.98
Zizyphus xylopyrus 165.23

Total 18,352.51

comparable with other studies, e.g. 17 Mg C/ha for the tropical dry forests of Africa (Gibbs
et al., 2007), 19.27 Mg C/ha for the tropical dry forests of Brazil (Pereira Júnior
et al., 2016) and 12.79–62.48 Mg C/ha for the tropical dry deciduous forests of India as
estimated by Forest Survey of India (Ministry of Environment & Forests, 2017). However
our results are quite lower in comparison to the studies of Delhi (41.87 Mg C/ha) (Meena
et al., 2019), of the tropical thorn forest of India (Salunkhe et al., 2018) and of the tropical
dry forest of Asia (78–96 Mg C/ha) (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2006).
Reasons for the lower side value of standing biomass-based carbon content in this study are
not difficult to find out. At the time of the institute’s establishment in 1988, the forest area
resembled a degraded dry scrubland (Figs. 5 and 6). The natural vegetation was repre-
sented by Lantana camara, Carissa carandas and few hacked trees of Butea monosperma,

2050021-10
 Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a TDF Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

(a) (b)

(c)

Fig. 4. Class-wise diameters: (a) AGB, (b) number of trees and (c) basal area in 1-ha plot.

Zizyphus xylopyrus, Diospyros melanoxylon, Wrightia tinctoria and Lagerstroemia par-

viflora (Kotwal et al., 2004).
Due to continuous care/protection and plantation activities, the degraded forest recov-
ered remarkably, and ecological processes evolved favorably with canopy cover reaching
over 60% in some patches and about 50% in general over most part of the campus.
However, site quality still remains IV due to prevailing tough edaphic factors like rocky
site conditions and poor soil depth at most of the places. In addition, due to untiring efforts
of the institute management and students, the study area is slowly developing into a garden
paradise (Figs. 7–9). Plantations of different tree species were also raised from time to time
in the past in small patches of degraded area like those of Tectona grandis, Hardwickia
binata, Pterocarpus marsupium, Emblica officinalis, Samanea saman, Gardenia latifolia,
Santalum album, Dalbergia sissoo, Dalbergia paniculata, Schleichera oleosa, Ficus

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Subhajit KARMAKAR et al.

Fig. 5. Degraded landscape during 1988 with the institute building in the background.

Fig. 6. Another view of tree-devoid landscape during 1988 with tall India Gate-like structure in the background.

religiosa and Putranjiva parviflora (Kotwal et al., 2004). Out of the above plantations, few
species are doing well in tough situations of shallow and rocky soil coupled with high
temperatures in summer sometimes reaching 47–48
C, e.g. Hardwickia binata, Santalum
album, Dalbergia paniculata and Schleichera oleosa. These should be given preference as
avenue trees and groves in the future. The basal area, standing biomass and carbon storage
would improve with time, and carbon results would be comparable with most of the other
studies in similar kind of forests.

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 Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a TDF Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

Fig. 7. Moderately dense forest (site quality IV) adoring near the tall India Gate-like structure in 2020.

Fig. 8. Dense forest (with a density of about 0.6) in the study area with an under-construction rain water
harvesting structure in the downstream portion.

Hardwickia binata plantation reported the highest carbon stock of 15.03 Mg C/ha
(Table 4) compared to other species present at the campus. Among others, Leucaena
leucocephala showed a higher carbon storage of 3.79 Mg C/ha followed by Holoptelea
integrifolia (2.11 Mg C/ha), Azadirachta indica (1.29 Mg C/ha), Gardenia latifolia (1.26
Mg C/ha) and Lannea coromandelica (1.24 Mg C/ha). Leucaena leucocephala (locally
called Subabul) is a very fast-growing leguminous tree species coming naturally in the
Institute after its initial introduction in the early nineties. This species produces large
number of seed-bearing pods during the months of January and February each year, and
seeds require bare minimum soil moisture and soil depth for germination, prompting good
regeneration. Major disadvantage of the species is its suppressing and colonizing nature as

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Subhajit KARMAKAR et al.

Fig. 9. Another view of dense forest in the study area during January 2020.

it generally does not allow other native species to flourish under it. Hence, due precautions
have to be taken by forest managers to check its further spread at the campus. This species
posed serious threat to the drinking water from underground and streams due to excess
nitrate content in its leaves in much of Guam when this species was introduced from the
Philippines after the World War II (Odum and Barrett, 2009). Hence, its plantation was
discontinued as nitrogen enrichment was reducing biodiversity and also affecting the
human health. Other native tree species mentioned above which contribute to higher
biomass need to be promoted in plantation.
Sequestrating atmospheric carbon in trees has been identified as a way of mitigating the
effects of greenhouse gas emissions (van Kooten and Sohngen, 2007). Estimating above-
ground biomass with sufficient accuracy is increasingly important for its applications in
carbon accounting in different land uses (Singh and Singh, 2015). This study addresses one
of the important aspects of ecosystem services from the forests, i.e. how urban woodlands
help in carbon storage and consequent carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. Trees
are the largest component of above-ground biomass in terrestrial ecosystems, and a number
of studies have paid attention to the role of forests in climate change mitigation, carbon
sequestration and biodiversity conservation (Dolman et al., 2012; Pan et al., 2011).
However, studies related to urban forest ecosystem carbon storage are not reported from
India except one study on Delhi’s urban forests located at the north and central ridge
reserved forest areas (Meena et al., 2019). This study is supposed to fill up the gap in this
regard.
The National Mission for a Green India (generally referred as GIM) of the Government
of India is one of the eight missions launched by the Union Government to mitigate climate
change. Among various targets to be fulfilled under GIM, one is to bring at least 0.20
million ha of urban/peri-urban land and institutional lands under tree cover during the

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 Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in a TDF Ecosystem of Bhopal, India

period of 2010–2020 in India (Ravindranath and Murthy, 2010; Singh, 2013). The mission
is supposed to increase the above- and below-ground biomass in 10 million ha of forests
and other ecosystems (including urban ecosystems) resulting in increased carbon seques-
tration of 43 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually by the end of 2020. IIFM Bhopal is
marching ahead in the right direction by creating and maintaining green cover at the
campus (including the road-side plantation) and in helping sequestering the additional CO2
annually.

5. Conclusion
The study estimated the carbon content in AGB and BGB in a TDF ecosystem in Bhopal
City of Madhya Pradesh. The study shows that a degraded patch of forest can be revived
through protection, care and rigorous plantation activities. The study area was almost 50%
degraded patch in 1988 when the institute was established. Presently, the carbon storage in
the natural forest of the study area is almost comparable to other studies conducted in
similar kind of natural forests elsewhere. In respect of the declining TDF cover due to
increased anthropogenic activities and biotic pressures, the adaptation of urban greening
and plantations are the best way to deal with the climate change. Through this study, it is
evident that Hardwickia binata plantation is an efficient alternative in sequestering carbon
compared to other species growing under the natural forest cover in the IIFM Campus.
Local native species like Holoptelea integrifolia, Azadirachta indica, Gardenia latifolia,
Lannea coromandelica, Lagerstroemia parviflora and Wrightia tinctoria should be given
preference in plantation over exotics like Leucaena leucocephala.

Acknowledgments
We are thankful to Mr. Rushabh Desadla and Mr. Vikram Shree Vyas, PGDFM (students
in 2018–2020 batch) for their contributions in GIS mapping and related area measurement
in the IIFM Bhopal Campus. We also express our sincere thanks to anonymous reviewers
whose valuable comments enabled us to improve this paper.

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