Impact of forest fire frequency on tree biomass and carbon stocks in the tropical dry deciduous forest of Panna Tiger Reserve, Central India

Forest fires are an important ecological force that shaped the forest ecosystems, but uncontrolled fires also cause great loss of biological diversity, as well as economic wealth. Fires are critical pathways of carbon loss from a tropical dry deciduous forest. The present work estimates the effect of forest fires on tree biomass and carbon storage pattern of tropical dry deciduous forest of Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Forest fire maps were prepared using Landsat Images (1997–2017), which were classified into seven fire frequency classes (B1–B7) and one control class (B0). Five plots were laid randomly in every fire class and all trees were enumerated in these fire frequency classes. A total of 44 tree species were recorded belonging to 33 genera and 21 families. The density ranged 402–597 individuals/ha while basal area ranged 8.84–15.89 m2/ha. The total trees biomass ranged from 71.41 to 124.58 Mg/ha, and total carbon ranged between 33.87 and 59.26 Mg C/ha. Among all fire frequency classes; the highest biomass was recorded in B2 (124.00 Mg/ha) followed by B0 (118.00 Mg/ha) whereas the least was in the B7 (70.80 Mg/ha) class. Carbon stock has the same pattern as that biomass accumulation. Tree carbon stock showed a significant positive relationship with a basal area (R2 = 9.66). Our results reveal that the higher percentage of carbon was stored in intermediate burned areas whereas the lower percentage was in higher fire frequency areas. The results of the present study would improve understanding of carbon stock present in different fire frequencies and could be used to enhance the carbon sequestration potential in fire-affected areas through conservation and proper management.