Sequestration of carbon in the humus layer of Swedish forests — direct measurements

Abstract

To determine sequestration rates of carbon dioxide (CO2) we calculated the carbon (C) storage rate in humus layers of Swedish forests with Podsolic soils, which account for 14.2 × 106ha of the 22.7 × 106ha of forested land in Sweden. Our data set covered 41 years of humus inventories and mean humus layer thickness in 82 513 plots. We analysed three forest types: (i) all combinations of tree species, (ii) forests dominated (>70%) by Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.), and (iii) forests dominated (>70%) by Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.). To relate changes in humus layer thickness to land area we used the intersections in 25 km × 25 km grids and used kriging interpolation, permitting calculations for each forest type. For each intersection mean humus thickness for each year was calculated and regressed against time to obtain the rate of change. This rate, humus bulk density, and humus C concentration were used to calculate sequestration rates. The mean sequestration rate was 251 kg C·ha–1·year–1, which is higher than theoretical values. The sequestration rate was positively related to temperature sum, albeit including effects of forest management. The pine-dominated forest type had a mean rate of 283 kg C·ha–1·year–1, and the spruce-dominated had a mean rate of 239 kg C·ha–1·year–1. Under similar site conditions, pine sequestered more C than spruce (difference of 71 kg C·ha–1·year–1; p < 0.0001), showing the importance of this type of ecosystem for C sequestration.