TREE-SPECIFIC EQUATIONS FOR ACCURATE CARBON ESTIMATION OF MAJOR FRUIT TREES IN BANGLADESH

ABSTRACT: Tropical fruit trees play an important role in mitigating climate change by sequestering carbonfrom the atmosphere. However, estimating their carbon sequestration potential requires tree-specific equations. This study aimed to develop such equations for five major fruit tree species in Bangladesh i.e. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Mango(Mangifera indica), Litchi (Litchi chinensis), Guava (Psidium guajava), and Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba). The study was conducted in four major ecosystems of Bangladesh namely, the Coastal ecosystem, Barind ecosystem, Terrace ecosystem, and Hill ecosystem. Vegetation data were randomly collected from each ecosystem. The equations were derivedfor Jackfruit W (lb) = 0.26 × D² × H (for diameter <11inches) and W (lb) = 0.14 × D² × H (for diameter >11 inches); for Mango W (lb) = 0.26 × D² × H (for diameter <11 inches) and W (lb) = 0.13 × D² × H (fordiameter >11 inches);for Litchi W (lb) = 0.23 × D² × H (for diameter <11inches) and W (lb) = 0.13 × D² × H (for diameter >11 inches); for Guava W (lb) = 0.22 × D² × H (for diameter <11inches), and for Jujube W (lb) = 0.22× D² × H (for diameter <11 inches) and W (lb) = 0.12 × D² × H (for diameter>11 inches). The equations will help in developing effective carbon management and climate changemitigation strategies in tropical agroforestry systems, aiding researchers, land managers, and policymakers in understanding tree growth and carbon sequestration.

Keywords: Agroforestry system,carbon estimation, tree-specific equation, and ecosystems.