Stock and Flow of Carbon in Plant Woody Debris in Two Different Types of Natural Forests in Bateke Plateau, Central Africa

Abstract

In order to know the role of plant woody debris in the carbon cycle, a study of carbon stocks and carbon flow of plant woody debris was conducted in the natural forests of the centre of the republic of Congo in the Bateke Plateau. Allometric equations were used to measure the carbon stock of in dead wood debris of Lesio-louna tropical rainforest. Three plots of 40 m × 40 m were delimited in each forest types. All plots were within 300 m of each other. The average stocks of carbon in coarse woody debris obtained are 10993 g∙m−2 and 14172 g∙m−2, respectively, in the Gallery forest (GF) and the hill-slope forest clump (HF), the difference of carbon stock between the two forests is not significant (p = 0.78). The interannual mean flow in both forests is respectively 1776 and 545 g∙m−2∙an−1 in the FG and the MSDS; this medium is not significant (p = 0.10). Carbon stocks of fine woody debris are respectively 965 and 83 g∙m−2 in the GF and HF, difference is significant (p = 0.0013).