Forest Phytomass and Carbon in European Russia.

Regression equations for basic fractions of forest phytomass have been developed for the European-Ural part of Russia based on available experimental data and publications (preliminarily examined 962 sample plots and aggregations). 8 main forest forming species (pine, spruce, oak, birch, beech, aspen, alder, lime) which were involved into analysis cover in European Russia about 95% of total forested areas. The equations allow to evaluate the ratio between phytomass fractions weight and growing stock by species, age and site indexes. The application of the equations to the Forest State Account data (1988) gives the total (living) phytomass in forest ecosystems of European Russia (forested area of 166.0 Mha, growing stock of 20.28 bln m3) of 15.47 Pg drt matter (density 9.32 kg/m2). The total carbon pool was estimated 7.64 Pg C with average density 4.60 kg C/m2 in 1988. Analysis of uncertainties of data and used methods showed that the results which based on FSA data probably underestimate real values for about 5% with standard error +/- 7-8% with confidential (apriori) probability 0.8-0.9. Used this assumption unbiased estimate of total storage of phytomass in forest vegetation were calculated for 1993 of 16.94 Pg (average density 10.36 kg/m2 ) and for C content respectively (8.37 Tg and 5.03 kg/m2 repectively). The changes of forest phytomass in 1966-1993 were esimated of 4.73 Pg (or about 174 Tg of dry matter/year) and for C - 2.34 Pg, i.e. the European Russian forests provided during 1966-1993 net sink of carbon in forest vegetation about 87 Tg C annually.

Estimation of forest phytomass for selected countries of the former European USSR

Models have been developed to estimate forest phytomass fractions of major forest-forming species in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the development of these models, both specifically collected data (284 sample plots) and some selected data reported in other publications. (229 sample plots) were used. The species analysed were pine, spruce, oak, beech, birch, aspen and alder; together these species cover some 93% of the total forested area and growing stock in the countries studied. The models developed include the ratio between the fractions of phytomass weights (dry matter) and green growing stock (stemwood over hark) distributed over age and site indices. The phytomass fractions studied are foliage, wood and bark of the stem: wood and bark of the crown branches; belowground body phytomass; and understory phytomass. Based on 1988 Forest State Account data of the former U.S.S.R., the total phytomass in forested areas (263 million ha with a growing stock of 3.85 billion m1) was estimated to he 2999.6 Tg (teragrams) dry matter, which gives a phytomass density of 11.4 kg/m2. The Total carbon storage was estimated at 1487 Tg, or 5.6 kg C/m2. Application of the results from the phytomass studies to the 1966 and 1988 Forest State Account data sets results in a net annual average link of 245 Tg C in the living phytomass of the forest ecosystems in the countries under study over the period 1966 1988

Forest phytomass and carbon in European Russia

The above-ground biomass yield of seven-year-old trees of Gliricidia sepium, Gmelina arborea and Leucaena leucocephala grown for fuel production were assessed. The combustion properties of the fuelwood and charcoal produced from the trees (moisture content, density, percentage fixed carbon, volatile matter, micro-elemental composition and heat of combustion) were determined. There were significant differences in the above-ground biomass and the charcoal yield from the various species. The stand biomass was 37.4 t/ha for Gliricidia sepium, 85.6 t/ha for Gmelina arborea and 46.2 t/ha for Leucaena leucocephala. The charcoal yield (range 25–42%) was highest in Leucaena leucocephala. The average heat of combustion of charcoal, 33.25 MJ/kg, was higher than that of wood, 21.6 MJ/kg. Gmelina arborea gave the greatest energy yield per hectare due to its high stand biomass