Comparative studies of carbon stocks in cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) plantations and primary forest in southeast Ghana

Trees are essential for carbon sequestration, a critical process for mitigating global climate change. Assessing the carbon stock potential of primary forests and cashew plantations is crucial, especially given the considerable degradation of forest resources in southern Ghana. A series of parallel permanent transects each up to 1 km in length and spaced 200 m apart, were established across different land use types, with their locations determined using GPS. In each community, fifteen cashew plots measuring 20 × 20 m (extending 10 m on either side of the transect) were established at 40-m intervals along the transects. Additionally, fifteen plots of the same size were set up within the forest reserve. A total of sixty plots were delineated in both the cashew plantations and the natural forest. The study revealed a decline in carbon stocks from forest trees within cashew plantations; however, total carbon stocks were higher in 20 to 30-year-old cashew plantations compared to the natural forest reserve. This suggests that carbon storage increases with the age of cashew plantations, emphasizing their potential role in mitigating the effects of climate change. Key words: Carbon sequestration, biomass, primary forest, cashew, climate change.