Carbon sequestration in the aerial biomass of a plantation of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill

Land use change and the burning of fossil fuels increase the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the environment. This gas is considered to have the greatest impact on global warming because of its concentration levels in the atmosphere. In order to determine the amount of carbon sequestered by the Eucalyptus grandis plantation located in the experimental farm "La Favorita", the biomass was quantified by means of the relation between fresh weight and percentage of dry matter of the shaft, bark, branches and leaves of a sample of 32 trees. The sequestered carbon was obtained by multiplying the biomass by the conversion factor of 0.5. The research was carried out with a sample of 0.8 ha in a 48-year plantation on the Ecuadorian coast. The average aerial carbon sequestered was 0.75 t / tree and 312.10 t / ha. The 81.20 % of carbon sequestered in the aerial biomass of the plantation is found in the shaft, 7.57 % in bark, 8.87 % in branches and 2.36 % in leaves. The alometric equation derived from the combination of the variables diameter at 1.30 m and total height (Di2ht), showed 98 % adjustment for the prediction of carbon of the plantation. These results show the high potential of the of Eucalyptus grandis plantations as carbon sinks and as an alternative for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. The values of sequestered carbon are higher than other plantations of the same species.