Biomass and carbon content in Galicia (NW Spain) Eucalyptus globulus Labill. stands

Abstract

Northwestern Spain is one of the most productive forest areas in Europe, being Eucalyptus globulus Labill. the most important species in the area. Stands (pure and mixed) of the species cover more than 400,000 ha, and almost four million cubic metres of timber were produced annually between 2008 and 2012. In this paper we present estimations of total aboveground biomass and the corresponding carbon content in Eucalyptus globulus plantations in Galicia, as useful information for further analysis on carbon sequestration balance. We developed several easy-to-use biomass equations, using data collected from cut trees across Galicia, and these were applied to data from the Third (1997) and Fourth (2011) National Forest Inventories in the region. The fitted model with diameter and height as independent variables showed the best estimates (R2 Adj = 0.9965, RMSE = 6.28). Estimations of current (2011) total aboveground biomass was 34.8 Mt and for the carbon was 15.7 Mt.