Effects of stand structure on ecosystem carbon stocks in woodlot plantation, riparian, and coastal forests in southeastern Bangladesh
4 affiliations
- 1Rangamati Science and Technology University
- 2School of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, University of Eastern Finland (UEF)
- 3Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong
- 4School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Nottingham
Abstract
In Bangladesh, previous research on biomass and soil carbon assessment focused in individual Sal, hill, and mangrove forests with minimum integration of diverse ecosystem carbon pools, and overlooked riparian vegetation in their estimation. However, the magnitude of ecosystem carbon stocks differs considerably across forest types. We aimed to estimate ecosystem carbon (live trees, deadwood, litter, soil, grass, and herbs) in three distinct forest ecosystems in southeastern Bangladesh and to analyze the effects of stand structure on ecosystem carbon. All the live and dead trees (≥ 5 cm) were measured in 60, 40, and 40 main plots of 20 m × 20 m in coastal, riparian, and woodlot plantation forests, respectively. An equilateral triangle was drawn at the center of the main plot to collect litter, grass and herbs, and soil (up to 30 cm depth) from adjacent plots of 1 × 1 m2, thus making a total of 36 mini plots for each component. Coastal forests, with higher tree height, density, and basal area, stored the most live biomass and ecosystem carbon, highlighting the importance of structurally mature stands in carbon accumulation. Soil carbon stocks were much higher in coastal and riparian forests than in woodlot plantations, which may be ascribed to dense root biomass and sedimentation in the coastal areas and high litterfall inputs in riparian areas. Litterfall carbon in riparian forests was 43% higher than in woodlot plantations. Across all forest types, soil and live tree biomass were the dominant sources of total ecosystem carbon, while deadwood, litterfall, and understory vegetation made comparatively little contribution. Stand structural attributes, especially tree diameter at breast height and basal area, had a significant impact on ecosystem carbon. The study provides comparative baseline data for forest carbon management and climate change mitigation measures in Bangladesh and emphasizes the significance of protecting structurally complex riparian and coastal forests for long-term carbon sequestration.
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BibTeX
@article{uddin2026effects,
title = {{Effects of stand structure on ecosystem carbon stocks in woodlot plantation, riparian, and coastal forests in southeastern Bangladesh}},
author = {Md. Jamal Uddin and Anwarul Islam Chowdhury and Md. Shaidul Islam and Tarit Kumar Baul and Antti Kilpeläinen and Tapan Kumar Nath and Shyamal Karmakar},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-63493-0},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63493-0},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of stand structure on ecosystem carbon stocks in woodlot plantation, riparian, and coastal forests in southeastern Bangladesh
AU - Md. Jamal Uddin
AU - Anwarul Islam Chowdhury
AU - Md. Shaidul Islam
AU - Tarit Kumar Baul
AU - Antti Kilpeläinen
AU - Tapan Kumar Nath
AU - Shyamal Karmakar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-63493-0
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63493-0
AB - In Bangladesh, previous research on biomass and soil carbon assessment focused in individual Sal, hill, and mangrove forests with minimum integration of diverse ecosystem carbon pools, and overlooked riparian vegetation in their estimation. However, the magnitude of ecosystem carbon stocks differs considerably across forest types. We aimed to estimate ecosystem carbon (live trees, deadwood, litter, soil, grass, and herbs) in three distinct forest ecosystems in southeastern Bangladesh and to analyze the effects of stand structure on ecosystem carbon. All the live and dead trees (≥ 5 cm) were measured in 60, 40, and 40 main plots of 20 m × 20 m in coastal, riparian, and woodlot plantation forests, respectively. An equilateral triangle was drawn at the center of the main plot to collect litter, grass and herbs, and soil (up to 30 cm depth) from adjacent plots of 1 × 1 m2, thus making a total of 36 mini plots for each component. Coastal forests, with higher tree height, density, and basal area, stored the most live biomass and ecosystem carbon, highlighting the importance of structurally mature stands in carbon accumulation. Soil carbon stocks were much higher in coastal and riparian forests than in woodlot plantations, which may be ascribed to dense root biomass and sedimentation in the coastal areas and high litterfall inputs in riparian areas. Litterfall carbon in riparian forests was 43% higher than in woodlot plantations. Across all forest types, soil and live tree biomass were the dominant sources of total ecosystem carbon, while deadwood, litterfall, and understory vegetation made comparatively little contribution. Stand structural attributes, especially tree diameter at breast height and basal area, had a significant impact on ecosystem carbon. The study provides comparative baseline data for forest carbon management and climate change mitigation measures in Bangladesh and emphasizes the significance of protecting structurally complex riparian and coastal forests for long-term carbon sequestration.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -