Carbon sequestration effects of shrublands in Three-North Shelterbelt Forest region, China

Three-North Shelterbelt Forest (TSF) program, is one of six key forestry programs and has a 73-year construction period, from 1978 to 2050. Quantitative analysis of the carbon sequestration of shrubs in this region is important for understanding the overall function of carbon sequestration of the forest and other terrestrial ecosystems in China. This study investigated the distribution area of shrubland in the TSF region based on remote sensing images in 1978 and 2008, and calculated the carbon density of shrubland in combination with the field investigation and previous data from published papers. The carbon sequestration quantity and rate from 1978 to 2008 was analyzed for four sub-regions and different types of shrubs in the TSF region. The results revealed that: 1) The area of shrubland in the study area and its four sub-regions increased during the past thirty years. The area of shrubland for the whole region in 2008 was 1.2 × 107 ha, 72.8% larger than that in 1978. The Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang Sub-region was the largest shrubland distribution area, while the highest coverage rate was found in the North China Sub-region. 2) In decreasing order of their carbon sequestration, the four types of shrubs considered in this study were Hippophae rhamnoides, Caragana spp., Haloxylon ammodendron and Vitex negundo var. heterophylla. The carbon sequestration of H. rhamnoides, with a maximum mean carbon density of 16.5 Mg C/ha, was significantly higher than that of the other three species. 3) The total carbon sequestration of shrubland in the study region was 4.5 × 107 Mg C with a mean annual carbon sequestration of 1.5 × 106 Mg C. The carbon density in the four sub-regions decreased in the following order: the Loess Plateau Sub-region, the North China Sub-region, the Northeast China Sub-region and the Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang Sub-region. The paucity of studies and data availability on the large-scale carbon sequestration of shrub species suggests this study provides a baseline reference for future research in this area.