Geographical settings and tree diversity influenced soil carbon storage in different forest types in Rajasthan, India

Abstract Knowledge of soil-forest relationship in degraded dry forest ecosystem of Rajasthan is essential to understand the factors responsible for soil carbon storage in different forest types and devising climate change mitigation strategies. About 15% forest blocks across forest ranges in Rajasthan were surveyed by laying 903 plots of 0.1 ha area. Trees and shrubs were enumerated and measured and litter and coarse woody debris (CWD) were quantified. Soil samples were collected from 0 to 30, 30–60 and 60–90 cm soil layers and analysed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), bulk density (BD), gravel (G), organic (SOC) and inorganic (SIC) carbon contents. Species richness (SR), Shannon-Weiner diversity (H′) and SOC and SIC stocks were calculated. Thirty-one forest types identified that differed (p