Approach to data collection for soil carbon modelling in Benin

Carbon stocks and changes in carbon stocks in forest ecosystems can be estimated either by direct measurements or using modelling approach. Given that direct measurements are expensive and time-consuming, modelling is preferred in countries with limited resources like Benin. But, in practice modelling is complemented by direct measurements in order to increase the validity of the model estimates. The objective of this technical paper is to provide guidance to collect data through direct measurements in order to improve the applicability of model-based approach to estimate soil carbon stocks and its changes in forest ecosystems. Further objective is to encourage the estimation of soil carbon pool in developing tropical countries

Guidance for tree measurement in tropical forest ecosystems using non-destructive sampling to develop stem biomass and volume models

The lack of guidance on tree measurements applying a non-destructive approach in tropical forest ecosystems motivated the drafting of this paper. The paper guides step by step on how to conduct tree measurements to generate data for biomass and volume modelling. How basic wood densities and carbon content can be determined in the laboratory is also addressed. Guidance and references are provided to assist developing species specific models, generic models, as well as to quantifying forest biomass and carbon stocks

Decomposition and changes in chemical composition of leaf litter of five dominant tree species in a West African tropical forest

G. H. Sabin Guendenhou, Jari Liski, Mikko Tuomi, Mansourou Moudachirou, Brice Sinsin, & Raisa Makipaa, 'Decomposition and changes in chemical composition of leaf litter of five dominant tree species in a West African tropical forest', Tropical Ecology, Vol. 55 (2): 207-220, May 2014. The version of record is available online at http://www.tropecol.com/pdf/open/PDF_55_2/06-Guenfehou.pdf © International Society for Tropical Ecology www.tropecol.comThe objective of the research was to study the rate of decomposition and changes in the chemical characteristics in the leaf litter of selected tree species using a litterbag experiment. The decomposition of leaf litter from five dominant tree species, Afzelia africana, Anogeissus leiocarpa, Ceiba pentandra, Dialium guineense, and Diospyros mespiliformis was studied in the Lama forest reserve, a tropical vertisol forest in Benin. Changes in litter mass and organic compounds, including acid-hydrolysable (AH), water-soluble (WS) and ethanolsoluble (ES) compounds and Klason lignin, were determined every 4 weeks over 6-months period. The carbon (C), nitrogen (N), organic matter (OM) and ash contents of fresh litter were also determined. The high differences in the initial litter quality across the species resulted in a large variation of the absolute decay rate (ka values), ranging from 1.69 to 4.67 year-1. The key chemical controls of leaf decomposition were the initial concentrations of AH, lignin and N. The specific decay rates (ks values) of AH, WS, ES and Klason lignin varied significantly within and across species and described leaf litter as composed of labile and recalcitrant C pools having different decay patterns. WS and ES had the highest ks values of 4.65 to 11.96 year-1 and 4.06 to 21.27 year-1, respectively, whereas AH had ks values of 1.14 to 4.74 year-1 and seemed to impose its decay pattern on the whole litter. The results supported the hypothesis that litter chemistry was the main factor controlling the decomposition process at a local scale.Peer reviewe