Carbon sequestration in forest plantations in Iceland

Abstract

SUMMARY The main goal of the current project was to develop methodology for determining the total organic carbon stocks (C-stocks) at afforestation sites, and to estimate their mean annual carbon sequestration (C-sequestration) by stock-change method. This method involves a comparison between C-stocks on afforestation sites and adjacent pastures on the same soil type and with the same pre-planting land-use history. The total C-stock in a 32-yr old larch stand (Larix sibirica) was 276 Mg ha n1 , compared to 157 Mg C ha n1 on an adjacent grazed pasture. This indicates mean C-sequestration of 2.6 Mg ha n1