Estimation of Carbon Storage in the Tree Growth of Solapur University Campus, Maharashtra, India

Urban forest, which includes trees in streets, gardens and parks provide valuable ecosystem services. Several university campuses having large vegetative areas support excellent plantation of tree cover. These types of forest cover counterbalance carbon emissions through carbon storage and sequestration from urban areas. The present study deals with the estimation of tree biomass and carbon storage and sequestration in the Solapur University. To estimate the carbon stock in the tree growth, non-destructive and allometric method was used. It is recommended for both sustainable planning of forest resources and for studies on the energy and nutrients flows in ecosystems. Total 30 species including 1230 individuals of trees were recorded in the present study. The maximum carbon storage was found in the Azardirichta indica for both the above and below components. However, in the saplings of these trees, Ploythia longifolia has good shown potential for the sequestration of carbon. Although Tamarindus indica has highest wood density (900.2 kg/m3) among the trees species found the study area, it has lower abundance in comparison to other species. Vegetation in well managed conditions such as university campuses and built environment are likely to have a greater impact per area of tree canopy cover in comparison to other non-urban forests due to faster growth rates and increased proportions of large trees.