Project 3

Greenhouse gases mitigation

potential of tropical agro-forestry
systems
Humberto Leblanc
Ricardo Russo
EARTH University, June 2007
Carbon Sequestration Potential of Productive Systems of the
Humid Tropics of Costa Rica.

Main Objective
To determine and to quantify the
amounts of carbon drawn from the
atmosphere by photosynthesis
and retained in aboveground
biomass and soils of forestry and
agro-forestry systems

Ecosystems under study*

Oil palm crop

Banana crop
Tree plantations
Secondary forest
Silvopastoral
Bamboo plantations

Oil palm
Carbon sequestration
Component

Carbon

Carbon

(0-30 cm) Mg ha-1

(0-50 cm) Mg ha-1

Aboveground
biomass

22.68

22.68

Soil

74.09

103.35

Total

96.77

126.03

Oil palm
Soil organic carbon pool
C (Mg ha-1)

C (Mg ha-1)
8

10

12

14

16

18

10

20

15

20

25

30

0-10

Soil profile (cm)

0-5

Soil profile (cm)

5-10

10-15

15-20

10-20

20-30

30-40

20-25

40-50

Oil palm
Pasture

25-30

Figura 1. Carbono orgnico almacenado en el perfilr del suelo,

en el cultivo de la palma africana.

Figura 2. Carbono orgnico del suelo en el perfil de 0-50 cm,

en palma africana y un potrero adyacente.

35

Banana
Carbon sequestration
Component

Carbon
(0-30 cm)

Mg ha-1

Aboveground biomass

6.01

Soil

74.08

Total

80.09

Banana aboveground
Carbon sequestration
C (Mg ha-1)

Phenological
stages

Leaf

Pseudostem

Bunch

Total

F10

0.07

0.17

0.00

0.24

FM

0.33

0.42

0.00

0.75

Flowering

1.63

2.01

0.44

4.08

Harvest

1.14

1.90

2.97

6.01

Tree species

Common name

Latin name

Family

Almendro

Dipteryx panamensis

Fabaceae-Pap.

Cedro Mara

Calophyllum brasiliense

Clusiaceae

Chancho blanco

Vochysia guatemalensis

Vochysiaceae

Fruta dorada

Virola koschnyi

Miristicaceae

Gallinazo

Jacaranda copaia

Bignoniaceae

Lagartillo

Zanthoxylum kellermanii

Rutaceae

Piln

Hieronyma alchorneoides

Euphorbiaceae

Vainillo

Stryphnodendron excelsum

Fabaceae-Mim.

Tree species
Carbon sequestration
C (Mg ha-1)

Soil 0-30 cm

Leaves

Branches

Boles

ABC

SOC

Total

Vochysia guatemalensis

1.5

5.7

63.5

70.7

61.2

131.9

Hyeronima alchorneoides

1.6

7.9

54.4

64.1

66.8

130.9

Calophyllum brasiliense

3.1

11.4

39.4

53.9

65.1

119.0

Virola koschnyi

2.0

5.7

40.1

47.8

73.4

121.2

Dipteryx panamensis

2.0

3.1

38.4

43.5

72.2

115.7

Jacaranda copaia

1.4

5.6

36.1

43.2

66.1

109.3

Stryphnodendrum
excelsum

0.8

5.8

33.8

40.5

72.5

113.0

Zanthoxylum mayanum

0.2

1.6

6.4

8.3

59.7

68.0

Secondary forest
woody species composition
Frequency (%)
Cecropia obtusifolia
Hampea appendiculata
Cordia alliodora
Cestrum racemosum
Luehea seemannii
Ochroma pyramidale
Senna hayesiana
Bursera simarouba
Carapa guianensis
Alchornea costaricensis
Chloroleucon mangense
Ficus werck leana
Inga oerstediana
Guatteria diospyroides
Inga edulis

23.14
19.01
5.79
4.96
4.13
4.13
3.31
3.31
2.48
2.48
2.48
2.48
2.48
2.48
1.65

Trophis racemosa
Cedrela odorata
Vernonia patens
Beilschmiedia sp.
Anacardium excelsum
Piper aduncum
Virola sebifera
Nectandra sinuata
Inga sp
Hyeronima alchorneoides
Ficus colubrinae
Erythrina costaricensis
Cupania cinerea
Ceiba pentandra
Adelia triloba

1.65
1.65
1.65
1.65
0.83
0.83
0.83
0.83
0.83
0.83
0.83
0.83
0.83
0.83
0.83

Carbon sinks and deposits

Ecosystem
Oil Palm *

ABC

SOC

Total Carbon

annual rate

(0-30 cm)

Mg ha-1

Mg ha-1 yr-1

Mg ha-1

3.2

73.3

96.0

6.0
(-2.9)

74.1

80.1

3.7

67.1

120.1

7 years

Banana
Tree
plantation
14 years

Next steps

1. Secondary forest C aboveground biomass

2. Secondary forest soil organic carbon
3. C and NH4-N in biogenic structures
4. Silvopastoral system

Plot #

9 10

Richness(S)

10

20

17

17

18

10

13

13

12

Trees/plot

22

30

24

23

29

20

17

20

25

25

Trees/spp.

2.2

1.5

1.4

1.4

1.6

2.0

2.4

1.5

2.1

4.2

ShannonWiener (H')

Simpson ()

Fisher ()

2.39 2.58 2.83 2.94 3.01 3.06 3.09 3.11 3.13 3.15

15.1 15.0 16.6 17.2 15.1 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.7
13.9 13.9 14.2 14.4 14.1 14.1 13.9 13.7 13.5 13.5

Thank you.
In the name of all the carbon fixation team
Humberto,
Ricardo,
Noelia,
Esteban,
Jacobo,
Paula,
Natalia,
Rattan
Juan Jos