TITLE:
Estimating Aboveground Carbon Stock and Sequestration Potential of Oak-Gum-Cypress Forests on Bottomland Hardwood Sites
AUTHORS:
Suchana Aryal, T. Eric McConnell
KEYWORDS:
Biomass, Growth and Yield, Timberland, US South
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.15 No.3,
July
8,
2025
ABSTRACT: An aboveground, whole stand, carbon stock model was constructed for the bottomland hardwood (BLH) oak-gum-cypress forests along the US Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi River Delta region, and the sequestration potential was explored utilizing USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot, condition, and tree data. Carbon stock model predictors were site index, stand age, and basal area. Sequestration was based on basal area increment. Stand age averaged 56.5 years, with 67.4 tonnes/ha of carbon stock on BLH sites on sweetgum site index 21.8 sites. At the 2020 social cost of carbon ($190 per tonne CO2e) and a discount rate of 2.00%, the accumulated present value of carbon ranged from $6500 per hectare over 5 years to $28,100 per hectare over 35 years. Accumulated present values discounted at 5.00% using potential market prices ranging from $1.00 to $50 per ton CO2e varied from $31.40 per hectare for 5 years to $5000 per hectare for 35 years. Findings suggest a revenue stream on BLH sites competitive with other forest-based cash flows.