Unlocking nature's hidden treasure: Unveiling forest status, biomass and carbon wealth in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand for climate change mitigation

In the context of present climate change concerns, the quantification of forest biomass and the comprehension of carbon stock distribution within protected areas are of paramount importance for exact carbon budgeting and the development of effective forest management strategies. This study conducted comprehensive field assessments with the primary objective of quantifying tree biomass and carbon stocks, as well as assessing structural attributes of forest stands. These assessments involved the meticulous collection of ground-based data encompassing various structural attributes, including circumference at breast height (CBH), stem height, basal area, stem density, frequency, girth class by utilizing a simple random sampling methodology. The results of this study unveiled substantial variations in all tree structural attributes across different forest stands along altitudinal gradients. Notably, species richness, tree density and species diversity exhibited an upward trend with increasing altitude. The maximum tree species richness (25) and tree density (1068 ± 102.2 individuals ha−1) were recorded at stand-IV, situated between 2200 to 2400 m, however, stand-I exhibited the maximum basal area. The highest aboveground, belowground, total biomass, and carbon stock was estimated in the stand-IV, with values of 279.12 ± 17.56 Mg ha−1, 65.58±11.20 Mg ha−1, 344.70 ± 20.66 Mg ha−1, and 163.73 ± 10.33 Mg ha−1, respectively. The study further revealed a positive correlation between elevation and species richness, biomass, and carbon stock. Additionally, it demonstrated positive correlations between total biomass and carbon stock with species richness, total basal area, and tree density. These findings convey immediate significance for the development and implementation of climate change mitigation policies and practices, particularly within the context of protected areas in the Himalayan landscape.