Carbon sequestration of plantation in Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas

The Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Project (BTSSCP), a national ecological restoration project, was launched to construct an ecological protection system in the Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas to reduce dust hazards. The carbon sequestration dynamics can be used to assess the ecological effects of an ecological restoration project. Here, we conducted vegetation and soil study to assess the carbon sequestration in the plantations with 10 years old stands in Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas. The results at the site scales indicated that the average net increase of plantation ecosystem carbon stock was 33.8 Mg C ha−1, with an annual increase rate of 3.38 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. The average net increase of carbon varied among regions, vegetation types, and forest management activities. Soil bulk density in the top soil decreased slightly after 10-year implementation of the project. Coniferous forests and shrubs are suitable plant species for sand source areas. Natural restoration in the plantations is a practical and feasible and promising approach for enhancing ecosystem carbon sequestration potential.