Carbon stocks in selected dry and wet zone forests of Sri Lanka

Wet zone forests in Sri Lanka, including the Sigiriya sanctuary, store significantly more carbon than dry zone forests, with total ecosystem carbon stocks reaching 361 tons per hectare compared to 176 tons per hectare. The study, conducted by Kuruppuarachchi and Senevirathne (2011), found that wet zone forests hold higher plant biomass carbon (249 t C/ha) and soil carbon stocks (108 t C/ha) than dry zone forests, which store 77.0 t C/ha and 93.6 t C/ha respectively. While the proportion of carbon stored in soil and plant biomass differs—53% vs. 44% in the dry zone and 30% vs. 69% in the wet zone—the wet zone forests contribute more to overall carbon sequestration. The research employed monthly sampling over an annual cycle, standard biomass equations, and chemical oxidation/LOI methods for soil carbon analysis.

Kuruppuarachchi, K. A. J. M., & Senevirathne, G. (2011). Carbon stocks in selected dry and wet zone forests of Sri Lanka. Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium, 16(0). https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v16i0.108