Ecosystem Carbon Storage Distribution Among Different Coniferous and Broadleaved Plantations in North China

Little information is available about the ecosystem carbon (C) storage among coniferous and broadleaved plantations with similar stand ages in North China. The aim of the present research was to estimate the C storages of the components of plants, litter, and soil in two coniferous plantations (Pinus tabulaeformis and Larix principis-rupprechtii) and two broadleaved plantations (Betula platyphylla and Populus davidiana) on Yanshan Mountain, North China. Allometric equations of diameter at breast height (DBH) and height (H) were used to quantify the biomass of the tree organs. The C storage of trees, herbs, litter, and soil were estimated based on the measured C contents. The C storage varied from 24.0 to 51.9 Mg ha−1, 0.3 to 0.7 Mg ha−1, and 1.9 to 4.0 Mg ha−1 in the tree, herbs, and litter layers, respectively. The ecosystem C storages were as follows: B. platyphylla (164.1 Mg ha−1) > P. davidiana (150.4 Mg ha−1) > L. principis-rupprechtii (122.3 Mg ha−1) > P. tabulaeformis (106.7 Mg ha−1), 65.7%–75.6% of which was stored in the soil layer. Broadleaf plantations stored higher C than coniferous plantations in this study. These results indicate that ecosystem C storage varied among various plantation types, and broadleaf plantations had considerable ecosystem C sequestration potential with even-aged plantation stands.