Temporal variation in tree biomass and carbon stocks of Pinus roxburghii Sargent forests of Rajouri forest division in Jammu & Kashmir State

The present study was conducted on Pinus roxburghii (chir) forests of Rajouri Forest Division in Jammu & Kashmir State to assess the temporal variations of carbon biomass and C storage between 1995-96 and 2015-16. Results of present study unveil that despite an increase of Chir tree density from 132.60 trees/ha during 1995-96 assessment to 197.61 trees/ha during 2015-16, the growing stock as well as aboveground tree biomass of Chir forests, which were 16.28 lac m and 9.73 lac tonnes in 1995-96, declined to 12.10 lac m and 7.24 lac tonnes, respectively by 2015-16. Similarly, the total C stocks of Chir forests (aboveground + belowground), which stood at 5.90 lac tonnes during 1995-96, declined to 4.39 lac tonnes; a decrease of 25.59% in assessment period. In line with these changes, the C density of these forests also witnessed a decline from 58.95 Mg ha to 43.84 Mg ha. Such declining trends definitely indicate forest degradation; poor forest health, cumulatively attributed to excessive removals, skewed distribution of Chir trees, subdued movement of trees from lower to higher diameter classes and increased anthropogenic pressure on forests in the division.