Biomass and Carbon Storage Potential of Teak Clonal Seed Orchards: Implication for Mitigating Climate Change

Abstract

Teak (Tectona grandis Linn.f.) is one of the world-famous commercial tree species grown across tropical and sub-tropical countries. For large scale plantations, good quality seeds are required. Thus, under the tree improvement programme, provenance trials, seed production areas, clonal seed orchards, and seedling seed orchards of important tree species including teak had been established in different parts of the country. These research plots act as long-term conservation plots. Moreover, these plots act as carbon sinks. Thus, a present study was undertaken to estimate the biomass and carbon sequestration potential of teak clones in a 53-year-old clonal seed orchard located at Waghai, Gujarat. Study reveals that DBH, volume, stem biomass, carbon storage and carbon sequestration showed a significant variation among the 18 studied teak clones. Clones such as TC-1, followed by TC-12, TC-2 and TC-8 showed superiority for biomass accumulation and carbon storage potential over other teak clones. Based on the observation, it was estimated that, a 53-year-old teak 1 ha clonal seed orchard (CSO) stores about 150 tons of carbon. Therefore, CSO acts as a carbon reservoir and it can be used in the carbon credit programme, depending upon total area available. Considering the clonal potentiality, further screening of clones can be made for large scale clonal plantations to achieve maximum biomass and carbon yield.