Plant Community Structure and Carbon Storage in a Dry Dipterocarp Community Forest with Using Dipterocarpus tuberculatus Roxb. Leaves as Forest Product, Northern Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to assess sustainable use of the Pluang leaves (Dipterocarpus tuberculatus) by assessing its population in forest community, using amount, income to community, and environmental influence on carbon storage of Dry Dipterocarp Community Forest at Tha Sa Lae village, Fang district, Chiang Mai province. Plant community study was carried out using 20 sampling plots, each of size 40 x 40 m2, and arranged randomly over the community forest area 7,002.27 rai. In each plot, stem girths at 1.3 m above ground and heights of all trees with height over 1.5 m were measured for calculating quantitative characteristics of tree species, plant biomass and carbon amounts. A total of 50 species (45 genera and 28 families) was found with density of 302 trees/rai. High density of immature trees, saplings and poling, of D. tuberculatus was observed about 68%, but none for the mature trees. This dominant speciese had the highest importance value index (52.05% of all species), followed by Shorea obtusa and Gluta usitata. Species diversity index in the forest was quite low (SWI = 1.91). Plant biomass was calculated at 75,650.13 kg/ha and could store carbon as 37,377.19 kg/ha. (81.19% of D. tuberculatus), involving soil carbon (10.875.98 kg/ha), thus the ecosystem carbon storage could estimate to 48,253.17 kg/ha. In the year 2019, amounts of D. tuberculatus leaves used for making 2,324,464 Pai were about 13,946,785 leaves and using leaves were 13.65% of the total, with value of 3,951,590 baht per year. The amount of loss carbon by cooecting D. tuberculatus leaves were 99,114.23 kg/year.

Keywords: Plant community structure, Carbon storage, Dry dipterocarp forest, Community forest