A Model to Estimate Stored Carbon in the Upland Forests of the Wanggu Watershed

Climate change coupled with deforestation has brought about an increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. One way to control climate change is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by maintaining the integrity of natural forests and increasing the density of tree populations. This research aimed to (a) identifies the density of stand trees in the upland forests of the Wanggu Watershed; (b) analyze the potential carbon stocks contained in the upstream forests of the Wanggu Watershed; (c) develop a model to estimate potential carbon stocks in the upland forests of the Wanggu Watershed. The land cover classification in this study used the guided classification with the Object-Based Image algorithm. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was employed as an indicator of vegetation cover density. Field measurements were carried out by calculating the diameter of the stand trees in 30 observation plots. Field biomass values were obtained through allometric equations. Regression analysis was conducted to determine the correlation between NDVI densities and field biomass. The results showed that the best equation for estimating potential carbon stocks in the Wanggu Watershed forest area was y = 3.48 (Exp. 7,435x), with an R2 of 50.2%. Potential above ground biomass carbon in the Wanggu Watershed based on NDVI values was 414,043.26 tons in 2019, consist of protected forest areas of 279,070.15 tons and production forests of 134,973.11 tons. While total above biomass carbon based on field measurement reached 529,541.01 tons, consist of protected forests of 419,197.82 tons and production forests of 110,343.20 tons.