Carbon Sequestration Rates of
Tropical Rainforest in Asia based
on IPCC Guidelines
Why use the IPCC Guidelines?
Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry
provide methodologies for estimating national inventories of anthropogenic
emissions by
sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases
provides updated default values of emission factors and other parameters based
on the latest available scientific information
provides additional or alternative up-to-date information and guidance, where
possible, as clarification or elaboration of existing guidance
IPCC guidelines used as a reference for in evaluating carbon estimates
Global ecological zones, based on observed climate and vegetation patterns (FAO, 2001)
GHG emissions and
removals per hectare
vary according to site
factors, forest or
plantation types, stages
of stand development
and management
practices.
Levels of Detail
… users of these Guidelines are encouraged to carry out the GHG emission
inventory calculations at a finer detail, if possible.
If more detailed information is available for forest and land use change, these
data should be used, if suitable, for the following reasons.
1. Geographic detail at regional rather than national level
• To capture important geographic variations in ecosystem types, biomass
densities, fractions of cleared biomass, etc..
2. Finer detail by subcategory
• Climate
• Ecology or Species
• Forest types
• Land use or forestry practices
Source: IPCC, 2006
Tier Level
Tier 1 - default data
Tier 2 - country-specific data
Tier 3 - advanced methods
and detailed country-specific
data
IPCC Tier 1 (default values)*
Parameter IPCC 2006 IPCC 2019 Unit Table No.
Carbon Fraction (CF) of Above-Ground Biomass 0.47 t C / t dry matter Table 4.3
Ratio of Below-Ground Biomass to Above-Ground 0.37 0.325 (0.207 – N/A Table 4.4
Biomass (R) 0.325)
Above-Ground Biomass in Natural Forests 350 45.6 t d.m. /ha Table 4.7
(280-350) (45.6 to 413.1)
Above-Ground Biomass in Plantation Forests 20 69 t d.m. /ha Table 4.8
(13.5 - 512.8)
Above-Ground Net Biomass Growth in Natural 13 3.4 t d.m. /ha/yr Table 4.9
Forests
Above-Ground Net Biomass Growth in Forest 5 (2-8) 5 (2-8) t d.m. /ha/yr Table 4.10;
Plantation Table 4.11
* Default values for Mixed Plantation Tropical Rainforest in Asia
Average Annual Increment in Biomass
Where:
GTOTAL = average annual biomass growth
and above and below-ground, tonnes dry
matter / ha/ yr
Gw = average annual ABG growth for a
specific woody vegetation type, tonnes
d.m. /ha/ yr
R = ratio of BGB and AGB for a specific
vegetation type, t. d.m. BGB/ t. d.m. AGB
Gw= 5 t/ha/yr (Table 4.12)
R = 0.325 t root d.m./ t shoot d.m (Table 4.4)
GTOTAL = Gw * (1+R) = 5 t/ha/yr * (1 + 0.325) = 6.625 t d.m./ha/yr
Source: IPCC, 2006
Annual Increase in Biomass Carbon Stocks due to Biomass Increment
Where:
ΔCG = annual increase in biomass carbon stocks due to biomass growth in land remaining in the same
land-use category by vegetation and climatic zone, tonnes C/yr
GTOTAL = mean annual biomass growth, tonnes dry matter / ha/ yr
CF = carbon fraction of dry matter, tonne C/ tonne dry matter
GTOTAL = 6.625 t d.m./ha/yr
A = 1 hectare
CF = 0.47 t C / t d.m. (Table 4.3)
ΔCG = A*GTOTAL*CF = 1 ha. * 6.625 t d.m./ha/yr * 0.47 t C/t d.m.
= 3.11375 t C/yr
Source: IPCC, 2006
Conversion of C stock changes to CO2 emissions
Conversion Factor tC to tCO2e = 44/12 = 3.6666666669
ΔCG * Conversion Factor to CO2 = 3.11375 t C/yr * (44/12) = 11.417083333
Annual Biomass GHG Removals = 11.4171 tCO2e/yr
Source: IPCC, 2006