Assessment of Soil Organic Carbon Stock under Different Density Classes of Oak (Quercus leucotricophora) Forests in Uttarakhand, India

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the most important and essential constituents of soil. It is the largest reservoir of terrestrial carbon. Here, an investigation was carried for the assessment of Soil Organic Carbon in three different density classes of Oak forest of Chakrata (Distt. Dehradun), Itarna (Distt. Tehri Garhwal) and Lansdowne (Distt. Pauri Garhwal) forest divisions of Uttarakhand. Three soil samples from each forest system at 0-30 cm depth were collected from each density to assess soil organic carbon stock. A total of 81 soil sample were collected in three seasons. In summer season among all three division maximum Soil Organic Carbon was assessed in Chakrata dense forest division (81.65 t ha-1), followed by moderate forest (47.66 t ha-1) and open forest (37.68 t ha-1) of Chakrata forest division. In Lansdowne forest division maximum SOC was found in dense forest (79.82 t ha-1) followed by moderate (48.53 t ha-1) and open forest (35.37 t ha-1) respectively. A similar trend was reported in case of Itarna forest division. Where (78.47 t ha-1) come up to maximum reservoir of SOC followed by moderate forest (46.50 t ha-1) and open forest (34.52 t ha-1) respectively. In rainy season among all three division maximum Soil Organic Carbon was assessed in Chakrata dense forest division (66.24 t ha-1), followed by moderate forest(45.62 t ha-1) and open forest (29.53 t ha-1) of Chakrata forest division. In Lansdowne forest division maximum SOC was found in dense forest (75.48 t ha-1) followed by moderate 48.65 t ha-1) and open forest (22.36 t ha-1) respectively. Similar trend was reported in case of Itarna forest division.In winter season among all three divisions maximum Soil Organic Carbon was assessed in Chakrata dense forest division (81.89 t ha-1), followed by moderate forest (56.62 t ha-1) and open forest (32.32 t ha-1) of Chakrata forest division. In Lansdowne forest division maximum SOC was found in dense forest (81.90 t ha-1) followed by moderate (57.43 t ha-1) and open forest (35.99 t ha-1) respectively. A similar trend was reported in case of Itarna forest division. This study reveals that in the Soil Organic Carbon is maximum in the dense forest followed by moderate and open forest which could be possibly due the more flora and fauna in the dense forest followed by moderate and open forest. Possibly the activities of flora and fauna lead to the addition of more carbon content in the soil. The study demonstrated similar trends of SOC in three different dense, moderate and open density classes of Oak forest. These outcomes of the study may explore the possibility to improve the scientific basis of forest management and land use in the near future.