Abstract
In northern Lao People’s Democratic Republic, rising human population has drastically reduced the fallow period of slash-and-burn agriculture which has led to a considerable decrease in the carbon stock in these communities. We estimated chronosequential changes in the communities' carbon stocks, and established the relationship between the fallow period and fallow-period-average carbon stocks in three carbon pools of bamboo-dominated communities in hilly areas of the Luang Prabang Province, northern Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Based on measurements by destructive sampling, we devised a model and root-to-shoot ratios for estimating bamboo biomass. In six secondary plant communities established after slash-and-burn cropping, we estimated community biomass using the above model and others, and measured deadwood and litter stocks. The communities’ biomass and deadwood significantly increased with time after the last cropping and the former reached about 100 Mg ha−1 after 15 years, whereas litter stocks did not show significant trends over time. Extending the fallow period from 2 to 5 years would increase fallow-period-average carbon stock from 14.2 to 25.1 Mg C ha−1. The overstory height was significantly correlated with biomass, deadwood, and litter carbon stocks of these communities. Based on our findings, changes in a community’s carbon stocks can be estimated using the changes in overstory height, which should be taken into account in future studies to reduce uncertainty in estimating carbon stocks in tropical ecosystems.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bargali SS, Singh RP (1997) Pinus patula plantations in Kumaun Himalaya. I. Dry matter dynamics. J Trop For Sci 9:526–535
Brown S, Lugo AE (1990) Tropical secondary forests. J Trop Ecol 6:1–32
Chazée L (2002) The people of Laos: rural and ethnic diversities. White Lotus, Bangkok
Christanty L, Mailly D, Kimmins JP (1996) Without bamboo, the land dies: biomass, litterfall, and soil organic matter dynamics of a Javanese bamboo talun-kebun system. For Ecol Manage 87:75–88
Gintings AN, Sukaeshi P, Syafrudin HK (2003) Assessment on the potentiality of reforestation and afforestation activities in mitigating the climate change (interim report). In: Fiscal report of assessment on the potentiality of reforestation and afforestation activities in mitigating the climate change, 2002. JIFPRO, Tokyo, pp 57–77
Gintings AN, Sukaeshi P, Syafrudin HK (2006) Ecological study on forest vegetation in West Java in 2005. In: Fiscal report of forestation: basic data collection aiming at small-scale environmental planting, CDM project, 2005. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, pp 8–41
Hairiah K, Sitompul SM, van Noordwijk M, Palm CA (2001) Methods for sampling carbon stocks above and below ground. International Centre for Research in Agroforestry Programme, Alternatives slash and burn lecture note 4B, ICRAF, Bogor
Inoue Y, Qi J, Kiyono Y, Ochiai Y, Saito K, Asai H, Horie T, Shiraiwa T, Dounagsavanh L, Olioso A (2007) Land use and carbon stock capacity in slash-and-burn ecosystems in mountainous mainland of Laos. In: Roeder A (ed) Advances in remote sensing and geoinformation processing for land degradation assessment. Taylor & Francis, London (in press)
IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme (2003) Good practice guidance for land use, land-use change and forestry. Technical Support Unit IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, IGES, Hayama
Isagi Y (1994) Carbon stock and cycling in a bamboo Phyllostachys bambusoides stand. Ecol Res 9:47–55
Isagi Y, Kawahara T, Kamo K, Ito H (1997) Net production and carbon cycling in a bamboo Phyllostachys pubescens stand. Plant Ecol 130:41–52
Ishikawa M, Boonthavy D (2004) A study of changes in livelihoods and forest management in Namo District, Oudomxay Province, Laos. In: Hyakumura K, Inoue M, Nanarg M, Harada K, Komatsu K (eds) Towards participatory forest management in Laos: Laos country report, 2003. IGES, Hayama, pp 12–27
Japan Overseas Plantation Center for Pulpwood (1999) Basic study for facilitating the introduction of new energy sources in 1998: a study on the assessment of CO2 fixing by industrial plantation (in Japanese). JOPP, Tokyo
Japan Overseas Plantation Center for Pulpwood (2000) Basic study for facilitating the introduction of new energy sources in 1999: a study on the assessment of CO2 fixing by industrial plantation (in Japanese). JOPP, Tokyo
Japan International Forestry Promotion and Cooperation Center (2002) Teak, merkusi pine, etc. in Java, Indonesia (in Japanese). In: Fiscal report of assessment on the potentiality of reforestation and afforestation activities in mitigating the climate change. JIFPRO, Tokyo
Ketphanh S (2001) Non-wood forest products in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In: Durst PB, Bishop A (eds) Beyond timber: social, economic and cultural dimensions of non-wood forest products in Asia and the Pacific. RAP Publication 1995/13, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok; http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5336E/x5336e0q.htm#non%20wood%20forest%20products%20in%20lao%20people’s%20democratic%20republic
Kira T, Shidei T (1967) Primary production and turnover of organic matter in different forest ecosystems of the Western Pacific. Jpn J Ecol 17:70–87
Kiyono Y, Hastaniah (1997) Slash-and-burn agriculture and succeeding vegetation in East Kalimantan. Pusrehut special publication 6. Mulawarman University, Samarinda
Kiyono Y, Hastaniah, Miyakuni K (2003) Height growth relationships in secondary plant communities in Kalimantan for forestry projects under the clean development mechanism of COP 7. Bull FFPRI 386:43–51
Kiyono Y, Prajadinata S, Oo MZ, Oosumi Y (2006) Development of the simplified methodologies for measuring and predicting biomass carbon stock (in Japanese). In: Fiscal report of forestation basic data collection aiming at small-scale environmental planting, CDM project, 2005. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, pp 8–41
Lewis J, Vosti S, Witcover J, Ericksen PJ, Guevara R, Tomich TP (2002) Alternatives to slash-and-burn in Brazil: summary report and synthesis of Phase II; http://www.asb.cgiar.org/Show Topic.asp?topic=0®ion=1
McClure FA (1966) The bamboos: a fresh perspective. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Matsune K (2003) Biomass measurement of planted trees and understories (in Japanese). In: Fiscal report of projects for developing technologies to promote AR-CDM, 2002. JIFPRO, Tokyo, pp 53–56
Miyakuni K, Heriansyah I, Heriyanto NM, Kiyono Y (2004) Allometric biomass equations, biomass expansion factors, and root-to-shoot ratios of planted Acacia mangium Willd. forests in West Java, Indonesia. J For Plann 10:69–76
Miyakuni K, Heriyanto NM, Heriansyah I, Imanuddin R, Kiyono Y (2005) Allometric equations and parameters for estimating the biomass of planted Pinus merkusii Jungh. et de Vr. forests. J For Environ 47:95–104
Morikawa Y (2002) Biomass measurement in planted forests in and around Benakat. In: Fiscal report of assessment on the potentiality of reforestation and afforestation activities in mitigating the climate change, 2001 (in Japanese). JIFPRO, Tokyo, pp 58–63
Morikawa Y (2003a) Biomass measurement of Azadirachta indica, Cassia siamea, and Dalbergia latifolia planted forests and baseline vegetation—Lantana camara shrub communities—in the Japan-Indonesia friendship forest in Lombok, Indonesia (in Japanese). In: Fiscal report of projects for developing technologies to promote AR-CDM, 2002. JIFPRO, Tokyo, pp 80–86
Morikawa Y (2003b) Biomass measurement of Tectona grandis planted forests in Mae Chang Plantation, Lampang, Thailand (in Japanese). In: Fiscal report of projects for developing technologies to promote AR-CDM, 2002. JIFPRO, Tokyo, pp 41–47
Roder W (1997) Slash-and-burn rice systems in transition: challenges for agricultural development in the hills of Northern Laos. Mountain Res Dev 17:1–10
Roder W, Keoboualapha B, Manivanh V (1995) Teak (Tectona grandis), fruit trees and other perennials used by hill farmers of northern Laos. Agrofor Syst 29:47–60
Saito K, Linquist B, Atlin GN, Phanthaboon K, Shiraiwa T, Horie T (2006a) Response of traditional and improved upland rice cultivars to N and P fertilizer in Northern Laos. Field Crop Res 96:216–223
Saito K, Linquist B, Keobualapha B, Phanthaboon K, Shiraiwa T, Horie T (2006b) Stylosanthes guianensis as a short-term fallow crop for improving upland rice productivity in Northern Laos. Field Crop Res 96:438–447
Saito K, Linquist B, Keobualapha B, Phanthaboon K, Shiraiwa T, Horie T (2006c) Cropping intensity and rainfall effects on upland rice yields in northern Laos. Plant Soil 284:175–185
Singh AK, Pandey VN, Misra KN (1980) Stand composition and phytomass distribution of a tropical deciduous teak (Tectona grandis) plantation of India. J Jpn For Soc 62:128–137
Singh AN, Zemg DH, Chen FS, Yu ZY (2004) Restoration of opencast coalmine spoils by young teak (Tectona grandis) plantation in a dry tropical environment in India. In: Sano M, Miyamoto A, Sugimura K (eds) Proceedings of the IUFRO international workshop on landscape ecology, 2004. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, pp 14–23
Spencer JE (1966) Shifting cultivation in southeastern Asia. University of California Press, Berkeley
State Planning Committee, National Statistic Center (2000) 25 basic statistics of the Lao P.D.R., 1975–2000. State Planning Committee, Vientiane, Laos
Sumitomo Forestry (2004) Afforestation/reforestation projects and biomass projects in three provinces in the Republic of Indonesia. CDM/JI Project Research, 2003. Sumitomo Forestry, Tokyo
Tan AKJ (1998) Preliminary assessment of Lao P.D.R.’s environmental law. APCEL Report: Laos. Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law, available via http://sunsite.nus.edu.sg/aspel/dbase/laos/reportl.html#sec4.1
Tripathi SK, Singh KP (1994) Productivity and nutrient cycling in recently harvested and mature bamboo savannas in the dry tropics. J Appl Ecol 31:109–124
Tripathi SK, Singh KP (1996) Culm recruitment, dry matter dynamics and carbon flux in recently harvested and mature bamboo savannas in the Indian dry tropics. Ecol Res 11:149–164
Yiming L, Peng L, Wanzhang W (1998) Studies on dynamics of carbon and nitrogen elements in Dendrocalamopsis oldhami forest (in Chinese). J Bamboo Res 17(4):25–30
Yiming L, Huicong L, Peng L, Xiantan X, Zhanxing M (2000) Biomass structure and energy distribution of Dendrocalamus latiflorus population (in Chinese). J Bamboo Res 19(4):36–41
Acknowledgments
This study was conducted as a part of the program “Development of Greenhouse-Gas Sink/Source Control Technologies through Conservation and Efficient Management of Terrestrial Ecosystems” supported by the Global Environment Research Fund of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, and received financial support from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Funds affiliated with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. Special thanks are due to Dr. Dokrak Marod, Kasetsart University, Thailand, for his assistance in identifying the plant specimens and Mr. Tetsuya Igarashi, Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, for his assistance in the fieldwork.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Kiyono, Y., Ochiai, Y., Chiba, Y. et al. Predicting chronosequential changes in carbon stocks of pachymorph bamboo communities in slash-and-burn agricultural fallow, northern Lao People’s Democratic Republic. J For Res 12, 371–383 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-007-0028-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-007-0028-6