ESTIMATION OF CARBON STOCK FROM VOLUME AND BIOMASS EQUATIONS IN A MONTANE CLOUD FOREST ECOSYSTEM IN NORTHEASTERN, MEXICO

An indicator of climate change is the global warming, produced by the increment of different greenhouse gases concentration in the atmosphere such as the carbon dioxide (CO 2), the methane (CH 4), the oxide nitrous (N 2O), the sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and the chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), being the CO 2 responsible for the greenhouse effect. The use of fossil fuels and the change of soil use are considered as the two main sources of CO 2in the atmosphere. The CO 2is incorporated to the plants by the photosynthesis and participates in the composition of the tree structure (stem, foliage, branches, crown and roots ). This investigation was developed in the Biosphere Reserve El Cielo, northeastern Mexico. Sample plots were taken randomly (1000 m 2). With the field data the volume and biomass determination was carried out for different species. To estimate the tree volume the following models V=a 0*(d)a1 (hardwood) and V=a 0+a1*d 2+a 2*h+a 3*d 2*h (softwood) were used. To determine the biomass was applied the equation b=a 0+(d), and the carbon equation was C=0.69322*d(2.3427), where Vis tree volume, bis biomass dry weight (kg), Cis carbon stock (kg). This model had the best adjustment in tree species of the cloud forest (r 2=0.95). The carbon stock was estimated in the tree stems obtaining 56.7 MgC ha -1 for this forest ecosystem. With this procedure we can evaluate the carbon stock in different Montane Cloud Forest ecosystems in northeastern Mexico.