ASSESSMENT OF CARBON STOCK IN BAMBOO STANDS IN TROPICAL RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEM OF SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The practise of bamboo cultivation and management has the potential to provide important roles in local economics and considering its need to promote the establishment of bamboo plantation particularly for the rehabilitation of degraded land and climate change amelioration, Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the amount of carbon stock in old growth bamboo stands and biomass in the south-western Nigeria. The study was carried out in three states of South Western Nigeria namely: Ondo, Osun and Oyo. The selected bamboo stands were divided into 5 diameter classes from each of the states after which two samples were picked from each diameter class for proper assessment of biomass and organic carbon content. Bamboo was observed to have highest average of biomass in the stem, (14.08±3.09 kg), followed by branches: (2.22±1.16) kg, with the least mean found in the leaves (1.08±0.38 kg) among the three states, the highest mean was observed in Ondo followed by Oyo and Osun (6.43±8.62 kg), (5.79±1.26 kg) and (5.56±0.95 kg) respectively For organic carbon content, The overall above ground carbon content for the three states was (2.64±0.38 kg), the highest was observed in Ondo (3.04±0.09 kg) followed by Oyo (2.77±0.13kg) and the least above carbon content was observed in Osun state with (2.11±0.11kg). However, it was found out that the stem has the highest carbon content of (6.76±2.88 kg) followed by the branches (0.84±0.52 kg) and the leaves having the lowest carbon content of (0.32±0.19 kg). The results of this study have shown that Bambussa vulgaris store certain quantity of carbon which makes it a highly desirable species with potential of climate change amelioration; this is indicated by the high yield of biomass.