Author:
Matangaran J R,Barokah S M,Mujahid M,Trison S,Putra E I
Abstract
Abstract
Forests have an important role in the carbon cycle and in the dynamics of storing and releasing carbon in growth, decay, and disturbance processes. Timber harvesting initially reduces the amount of carbon in the forest. This study aims to analyze the magnitude of changes in carbon mass due to timber harvesting. It was conducted in a forest concessionaire located at Siberut of West Sumatra on a natural forest covering about 48,000 hectares. Selective cutting was implemented for logging where the harvestable trees were over 50 cm in diameter. The amount of carbon mass was obtained based on laboratory tests on tree parts, including trunk, branches, twigs, and bark. The average carbon content in each part of the tree is different. The trunk contains 53.86% of carbon mass, the branches are 51.98%, the twigs are 31.58%, the leaves are 27.91%, and the bark is 32.01%. Timber harvesting was conducted at the forest compartment with an average forest stand density of 71.5 trees ha−1 and a felling intensity of 8.8 trees ha−1, causing damage to 16.17 trees ha−1 stands. Timber harvesting causes a decrease in carbon mass reserves of 43.26% from forest carbon mass of 141.89 tons C ha−1 before harvesting to 80.00 tons C ha−1 after harvesting.