Estimate of Biomass and Carbon Storage by an Agrossilvipastoral System in the Zona da Mata Mineira

Abstract

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), generated a global debate about the silviculture and agrossilviculture potential as an elegible project-based activities reducing GHG emissions. This study aimed to estimate the amount of carbon and biomass storage in a mixed silvopastoral system with Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium at the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais State. The system had a plant density of 105 plants per hectare which was 60 eucalyptus and 45 acacia. The stem volume of 10 year old trees was assessed using alometric equations and the residual mean pasture biomass was quantified. For the eucalyuptus plants, the estimative of biomass and carbon were 24.8 Mg ha-1 and 11.17 Mg.ha-1, respectively, while those for acacia were 6.94 Mg.ha-1 and 3.12 Mg.ha-1. The total amounts was 31.74 Mg.ha-1 of biomass and 14.29 Mg.ha-1 of carbon. It was estimated that the pasture, considering only the residues of pasturing, accumulated 1.28 Mg.ha-1 of biomass and 0.58 Mg.ha-1 of carbon.