The Effects of Stand Density Control on Carbon Cycle in <i>Chamaecyparis obtusa</i> (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. Forests

This study was conducted to quantify the carbon storage in each pool (including trees, forest floor, and soil) and to analyze the carbon cycle in a <i>Chamaecyparis obtusa</i> (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. forest according to different thinning intensities. The study site was located in Goch...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jeong-Gwan Lee, Du-Hee Lee, Jun-Young Jung, Sle-Gee Lee, Seung Hyun Han, Seongjun Kim, Hyun-Jun Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-01-01
Series:Forests
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/2/217
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Summary:This study was conducted to quantify the carbon storage in each pool (including trees, forest floor, and soil) and to analyze the carbon cycle in a <i>Chamaecyparis obtusa</i> (Siebold and Zucc.) Endl. forest according to different thinning intensities. The study site was located in Gochang-gun, Jeollabuk-do, and the treatments consisted of a control (Con), a light thinning (LT), and a heavy thinning (HT), based on 3000 trees originally planted per hectare. As stand density decreased, total C storage decreased, and the annual C storage of trees and C released through soil respiration significantly increased. Net ecosystem production (NEP; Mg·C·ha<sup>−1</sup>·year<sup>−1</sup>), as the difference between net primary production and microbial respiration, was 1.95, 2.49, and 2.11 in the Con, LT, and HT treatments, respectively; i.e., the LT stimulated greater NEP than the Con and HT treatments. While these results show that thinning decreases total C storage of forests, proper thinning enhances carbon uptake capacity. In addition, this study can be a basic reference for the effects of thinning on forest carbon cycles. Repeated measurements of each C pool should be performed over multiple years to see the exact movement patterns of forest carbon in the future.
ISSN:1999-4907