Estimation and Comparison of Co2 Accumulation Between Two Broad-Leaved and Coniferous Stands in Arasbaran Forests Based on Physiographical Characteristics

There are various methods for estimating Co2 accumulation and assessing the spatial structure. This research aimed to estimate the aboveground Co2 accumulation in two stands of Carpinmus betulus and Juniperus foetidissima in Arasbaran forests, and the effect of physiographical factors such as slope, aspect and altitude on it. Furthermore the spatial distribution of Co2 accumulation was obtained based on geostatistical approach in two mentioned stands. The results showed that the average of Co2 accumulation for hornbeam and juniper stands was 358589.47 and 9992.59 kg /ha respectively, which there was a significant difference between them at the level of P ≤ 0.05. Whereas there wasn’t any significant differences between physiographical variations and Co2 rate in two stands. In addition, the experimental variogram was fitted for two stands that hornbeam and juniper with 91% and 99% indicated the strong spatial structure respectively. So, the distribution map of Co2 accumulation was obtained for the area. Cross- validation of the models revealed that the RMSE for hornbeam and juniper was 0.308 and 0.334 kg /ha respectively which proved precise estimation and acceptable models due to the strong spatial structure and low nugget effect. Considering the importance of climate change, we can improve Arasbaran forests reclamation regarding carbon sequestration by taking into account the carbon sequestration potential of different species and the physiographical factors affecting the carbon sequestration.