New manual on measuring carbon stocks across land use systems
More than 15 years after scientists from the ASB Partnership released the first guidelines for measuring tree, vegetation and soil carbon stocks, the World Agroforestry Centre has published an updated manual.
Professor Kurniatun Hairiah, on behalf of the co-authors, offered first copies in Jakarta, Indonesia at a project meeting to representatives of the Ministry of Forestry, universities, NGO’s and the national climate change advisory board. A version of the manual in Bahasa Indonesia is also available, as is a book specifically dealing with measurements in peatlands (English version still in preparation).
Carbon stocks of forests, agroforestry systems and other land uses have become of interest to many stakeholders in the global debate on greenhouse gas emissions and efforts to reduce these emissions.
This new manual evolved from efforts in the early 1990s when the ASB Partnership started to collect consistent data across the humid tropics. The first part discusses reasons for measuring carbon stocks across land use systems, at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Part 2 provides a 7-step rapid carbon appraisal process, combining analysis of remote sensing imagery and a nested-design for sampling trees, understorey, litter and other necromass, roots and soil organic matter. Allometric relationships between tree diameter and total biomass are discussed in relation to wood density. A case study also details steps taken in the Kali Konto watershed in East Java, Indonesia.
The manual is consistent with the Good Practice Guideline (GPG) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that is to be used for national accounting of carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions.
The manual is available free to download:
Hairiah K, Dewi S, Agus F, Velarde S, Ekadinata A, Rahayu S and van Noordwijk M, 2011. Measuring Carbon Stocks Across Land Use Systems: A Manual. Bogor, Indonesia. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), SEA Regional Office, 154 pages.
