Carbon accumulation in the aboveground biomass of a Bambusa oldhamii plantation

To evaluate the potential for carbon sequestration in a bamboo species (Bambusa oldhamii Munro), total aboveground biomass and its distribution in components (stem, branches and foliage) were evaluated in a 7-year-old bamboo plantation using Y=alpha D-beta form allometric equations. Using data from 22 culms (stems) per cohort (age group), biomass equations were developed for each of the four standing culm cohorts (one to four years old). Except for branches of the three-year-old cohort, determination coefficients were above 0.70. Even though stem diameter and height remain constant after the first year of age, differences in biomass estimated for culms of the same diameter from different cohorts allows estimation of yearly biomass increment. Aboveground biomass accumulated in the four standing cohorts of the plantation was 103.97 Mg ha(-1), of which 83.7% was found in stems, 12.3% in foliage and 4% in branches. The use of bamboo stems in house construction implies that 43.4 Mg of C of the present biomass can be transferred to a reservoir with a mean residence time of 80 years.