Carbon Stock Estimation on Oil Palm Plantations and Oil Palm-Based Agroforestry in Gunung Mas Regency

Abstract

Central Kalimantan has one of the highest rates of deforestation and palm oil production in Indonesia. These changes have ecological impacts, such as loss of wildlife, loss of water absorption functions, and increased carbon emissions. Agroforestry is a synergistic planting system between crops and forest stands to maintain the ecological balance. Planting sengon trees (Paraserianthes falcataria (L.) Nielsen) and oil palm plants (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is one of the agroforestry application systems of the researcher’s research area. Sengon has easy maintenance, a high selling price, and can increase soil fertility and absorb N also CO2. This study aimed to calculate the amount of aboveground carbon stocks on oil palm plantations and oil palm-based agroforestry with sengon trees in Manuhing and Rungan Barat Sub-Districts, Gunung Mas Regency, Central Kalimantan. The number of plots are 45, were used for each land use type. Litter and undergrowth carbon were measured using a destructive method, then tree stands vegetation was measured by the allometric equations using breast height diameter. The oil palm-based agroforestry has the highest aboveground carbon stocks, with an average of 63.14 tonC/ha, while the oil palm plantations with an average of 46.70 tonC/ha. The differences in their amounts can be caused by the differences in years of planting and fertilization by farmers; thus, they have different growth rates in increments of diameter.