Research: Estimating carbon storage potential in NSW forests

Heavy, hard work has allowed Industry & Investment NSW - Primary Industries scientists to quantify the gross carbon storage potential of NSW forests. Research involved cutting and weighing trees on a specialised trailer, while Research Officer Fabiano Ximenes and his team took core samples from the trunk of the tree, the bark and the crown (the overarching canopy of leaves of the tree) to analyse for moisture content, density and sapwood. These qualities help to determine the condition of the wood product, as some trees can have disease, or internal decay which affects both their carbon storage and profit potential.

Forester measuring the circumference of a tree

Harvested trees were weighed, along with the slash left behind, such as twigs and leaves. This research estimates the biomass in trees and is used to create a graphical curve that relates biomass to the circumference of the tree at breast height. More than 527 native hardwood trees were measured in this way, in three different areas, so that any differences in environments did not create misleading results.

This work allows scientists to look at other forests and, without having to cut the forest down, estimate the biomass and the carbon sequestering potential for a given area.

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