Assessing Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity: A Comprehensive Study of Trees at Dhurakij Pundit University

The objectives of this study were: i) to develop a comprehensive tree database for Dhurakij Pundit University (DPU), involving counting and measuring the diameter at breast height (DBS) of 1.3 meters and had a stem circumference of at least 12 cm at breast height, ii) to evaluate CO2 sequestration within the university campus by estimating the woody biomass of each tree using allometric equations and calculating carbon storage, CO2 sequestration potential, and oxygen (O2) production for each tree. Additionally, the Importance Value Index (IVI) and the Shannon-Weiner Species Diversity (SWSD) Index were calculated to identify the dominant tree species and assess overall species diversity. Data collection was conducted over a two-month period, from September to November 2023. The results indicated that within the 13.23-hectare campus, there were 191 distinct species represented by a total of 2,577 trees, with a tree density of 194.79 trees/ha and a total tree basal area of 107.91 m². The estimated carbon storage was 23.41 tC/ha, with CO2 sequestration reaching 85.82 tCO2/ha and oxygen production at 62.414 tO2/ha. DPU's CO2 sequestration rate of 4.29 tCO2/ha/year reflected its dense tree population relative to other universities. The SWSD Index (H') of 3.7730 indicated high species diversity. Pterocarpus indicus exhibited the highest CO2 sequestration, while Ficus annulata had the highest IVI at 47.3091. This comprehensive database serves as a basis for future assessments of carbon sequestration on campus.