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Investigating above‐ground biomass in old‐growth and secondary montane forests of the Cameroon Highlands
Author(s) -
Ngute Alain Senghor K.,
Sonké Bonaventure,
Nsanyi Sainge Moses,
Calders Kim,
Marchant Rob,
CuniSanchez Aida
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12719
Subject(s) - biomass (ecology) , montane ecology , basal area , deforestation (computer science) , old growth forest , tree allometry , secondary forest , forest structure , geography , environmental science , forestry , ecology , species diversity , agroforestry , allometry , biology , canopy , computer science , programming language , biomass partitioning
Tropical montane forests can store and sequester substantial amounts of carbon in above‐ground biomass (AGB), but variations in this storage related to location or degradation have not been quantified in the Cameroon Highlands. We established 25 permanent plots (20 m × 40 m) and sampled all trees ≥10 cm diameter following standard RAINFOR protocols. We estimated AGB and investigated variations related to taxonomic and structural forest attributes, including the height–diameter allometry in five forest types (four old‐growth dominated by different species and one secondary forest). Secondary forests had significantly lower AGB than old‐growth forests (49.4 ± 2.5 vs. >476.3 ± 168.7 Mg/ha, respectively), mostly related to lower basal area and tree height. Significant differences in species composition but not in forest structure or AGB were found between the four types of old‐growth forests studied, located at different altitudes and mountains. We discuss the importance of these montane forests for carbon storage and, considering their high diversity and current threats, their potential for carbon finance mechanisms related to both avoided deforestation and forest restoration.