Estimation of biomass, carbon storage and economic value of felled trees in the Yasouj-Dena road construction project

Roads are among the most important factors for the development of various communities. In designing a road (Tarmac), it is necessary to carefully consider environmental issues in addition to technical ones. Felling trees in road building projects changes forest and rangeland ecosystems and also ends the important roles they play in carbon sequestration. To estimate the biomass and carbon storage of felled trees in the Yasouj-Dena (30sakht) road construction project, 20 sample plots (1000 m2) were selected at a distance of 10 m from the cut down trees in Deh Bar Aftab Village, Boyer-Ahmad County and the quantitative variables of oak trees (diameter at breast height, diameter of shoot clumps, height and crown cover) were measured. Using the related allometric equations previously developed for the provincial forests, the biomass and carbon storage of the tree species with the two different vegetative forms (high forest trees and coppice trees) were estimated. The results indicated that the total biomass of both high forest and coppice trees was about 982 tons. The high forest trees and coppice trees had the capacity to sequester approximately 347 and 144 tons of carbon per hectare, respectively. Therefore, considering the coefficient of 3.67, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by these high forest and coppice trees was 1802 tons. Given the global carbon price, the estimated value of carbon sequestration in the trees removed from nature for the Yasouj-Dena road construction project was more than IRR 2.3 billion (23 Meliard Rials).

Estimation of biomass, carbon storage and economic value of felled trees in the Yasouj-Dena road construction project Keywords:

Allometric equations , Deh Bar Aftab village , Highforest , Vegetative form