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Variation in soil organic carbon stocks in Singapore with forest succession and land management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2022

Michael Kleine ,
Subhadip Ghosh ,
Ernst Leitgeb Open the ORCID record for Ernst Leitgeb [Opens in a new window] ,
Ambros Berger ,
Hassan bin Ibrahim ,
Thomas Gschwantner ,
Lai Fern Ow  and
Kerstin Michel
Michael Kleine*
Affiliation:
Austrian Natural Resources Management and International Cooperation Agency, Karlsgasse 9/2, 1040Vienna, Austria
Subhadip Ghosh
Affiliation:
Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, National Parks Board, Singapore259569, Republic of Singapore School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale2351, Australia
Ernst Leitgeb
Affiliation:
Department of Forest Ecology and Soil, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131Vienna, Austria
Ambros Berger
Affiliation:
Department of Forest Inventory, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131Vienna, Austria
Hassan bin Ibrahim
Affiliation:
International Biodiversity Conservation, National Parks Board, Singapore259569, Republic of Singapore
Thomas Gschwantner
Affiliation:
Department of Forest Inventory, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131Vienna, Austria
Lai Fern Ow
Affiliation:
Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, National Parks Board, Singapore259569, Republic of Singapore
Kerstin Michel
Affiliation:
Department of Forest Ecology and Soil, Austrian Research Centre for Forests, Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, 1131Vienna, Austria
*
Author for correspondence: Michael Kleine, Email: michael.kleine@anrica.org
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Abstract

Land-use changes and forest management decisions can profoundly alter soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether existing SOC stocks in the forests of Singapore can be related to successional stages of forest vegetation following disturbances. A forest classification system was developed using information about land use history and vegetation data from 21 inventory plots collected within the framework of Singapore’s IPCC-compatible greenhouse gas reporting system. The forest successional classes obtained were related to SOC stocks (0–50 cm) determined on the same plots. The inventory plots were assigned to four classes. Primary forests (Class 1) were dominated by late succession native species. Secondary forests representing natural forest succession (Class 2) contained younger native trees and a few large trees. Secondary forests after tree plantation/fruit orchard (Class 3) and after agricultural crop cultivation (Class 4) were characterised by large proportions of exotic tree species. Maximum stocks of SOC declined from Class 1 (127.7 Mg ha−1) to Class 4 (35.2 Mg ha−1). The results of a principal component analysis confirmed our forest classification. Plant-related parameters can be successfully used to classify the forests in Singapore, which also show clear differences in SOC.

Keywords

above-ground biomassclassification systemland-usetropical forests
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 38 , Issue 5 , September 2022 , pp. 275 - 284
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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