The text that follows is a PREPRINT.

 

Please cite as:

 

 

Fearnside, P.M. and W.M. Guimarães. 1996.  Carbon uptake by secondary forests in Brazilian Amazonia. Forest Ecology and Management 80(1-3): 35-46.

 

ISSN: 0378-1127

 

Copyright: Elsevier

 

The original publication is available at: http://www.elsevier.com.nl      

 

 

 


 

CARBON UPTAKE BY SECONDARY FORESTS IN BRAZILIAN AMAZONIA

 

 

 

 

 

                        Philip M. Fearnside

                        Walba Malheiros Guimarães

 

                        Department of Ecology

                        National Institute for Research

                            in the Amazon (INPA)

                        C.P. 478

                        69011-970 Manaus, Amazonas

                        BRAZIL

 

                             Tel: 55 (92) 643-3314; 236-2652

                             Fax: 55 (92) 236-3822

                             Email: PMFEARN@CR-AM.RNP.BR

 

 

 

                   24 March 1995

                   15 July 1995

                   21 July 1995


                   TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .....................................................  i

INTRODUCTION .................................................  1

SECONDARY FORESTS FROM SHIFTING CULTIVATION FALLOWS ..........  2

SECONDARY FORESTS FROM CATTLE PASTURE ........................  3

CALCULATION OF UPTAKE OF THE REPLACEMENT LANDSCAPE ...........  6

DISCUSSION ...................................................  8

CONCLUSIONS .................................................. 11

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................. 12

REFERENCES ................................................... 13

Tables

Figure legends


ABSTRACT

Fearnside, P.M. 1995. Carbon uptake by secondary forests in Brazilian Amazonia. For. Ecol. Manage.

 

     Estimating the contribution of deforestation to greenhouse gas emissions requires calculations of the uptake of carbon by the vegetation that replaces the forest, as well as the emissions from burning and decay of forest biomass and from altered emissions and uptakes by the soil.  The role of regeneration in offsetting emissions from deforestation in the Brazilian Legal Amazon has sometimes been exaggerated.  Unlike many other tropical areas, cattle pasture (rather than shifting cultivation) usually replaces forest in Brazilian Amazonia.  Degraded cattle pastures regenerate secondary forests more slowly than do fallows in shifting cultivation systems, leading to lower uptake of carbon.  The calculations presented here indicate that in 1990 the 410 X 103 km2 deforested landscape was taking up 29 X 106 t of carbon (C) annually (0.7 t C ha-1 year-1).  This does not include the emissions from clearing of secondary forests, which in 1990 released an estimated 27 X 106 t C, almost completely offsetting the uptake from the landscape.  Were the present land-use change processes to continue, carbon uptake would rise to 365 X 106 t annually (0.9 t C ha-1 year-1) in 2090 in the 3.9 X 106 km2 area that would have been deforested by that year.  The 1990 rate of emissions from deforestation in the region greatly exceeded the uptake from regrowth of replacement vegetation.

 

KEYWORDS:  Global warming, Secondary succession, Greenhouse effect, Deforestation, Pasture, Shifting cultivation


INTRODUCTION

 

     Carbon uptake by secondary forests is a key factor in net emissions calculations for greenhouse gases.  "Carbon uptake" refers to the net annual per-hectare removal of carbon from the atmosphere while land is in a given land-use category, such as secondary forest.  Uptake is carbon fixed minus carbon released through respiration and litter decay.  This should not be confused with the net change in carbon that occurs in converting the original forest to the given land-use category, as by deforestation.  As used here, "carbon uptake" also does not include the effects of transitions among land-use categories within the deforested landscape, such as the emissions from re-clearing secondary forests for agriculture or pasture.  Carbon uptake is primarily determined by the rate of growth of secondary forests of different types.  In addition to its importance for global warming, the rate of growth of secondary forest is also important for assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems that depend on a fallow period in woody vegetation in order to regenerate site quality for annual crops or pasture.

 

     Secondary forests derived from agriculture (shifting cultivation) grow much faster than do secondary forests in abandoned cattle pastures.  The rapid growth of shifting cultivation fallows has led Lugo and Brown (1981, 1982) to present them as greatly mitigating the global warming impact of deforestation.  However, in Brazilian Amazonia (Figure 1), which is the largest single contributor to the deforestation component of global greenhouse gas emissions, land-use change is dominated by cattle pasture rather than by shifting cultivation.  In the present paper, data from measurements of secondary forest growth in abandoned pastures are compared to rates that other studies have found in shifting cultivation fallows.

 

                   (Figure 1 here)

 

SECONDARY FORESTS FROM SHIFTING CULTIVATION FALLOWS

 

     The literature on secondary forest in shifting cultivation fallows throughout the tropics has been reviewed by Brown and Lugo (1990).  These authors plot the existing data for the dry weights of live biomass in wood, leaves and roots versus the age of the secondary forest, and trace a freehand curve to represent the growth of each component.  In Table 1, values have been estimated from Brown and Lugo's (1990) graph for five ages ranging from 5 to 80 years.

 

              (Table 1 here)

 

     Table 1 also presents three measures that are calculated from the biomass values.  The root/shoot ratio decreases from 0.42 in 5-year-old stands to values around 0.20 after the stands reach age 20 years.  The growth rate of total live biomass, expressed as an average rate since abandonment (mean annual increment), decreases from about 10 t ha-1 year-1 to 2 t ha-1 year-1 at age 80 years.  Expressed as a growth rate for each interval (periodic annual increment), the rate is steady at about 10 t ha-1 year-1 until the tenth year, then falls by half by year 20, and continues to decline to very low levels after year 30.

 

SECONDARY FORESTS FROM CATTLE PASTURE

 

     Two studies of secondary forest derived from abandoned cattle pasture in Brazilian Amazonia exist: one of the Transamazon Highway colonists in Altamira, Pará (Guimarães, 1993) and the other in ranches near Paragominas, Pará (Uhl et al., 1988).  In Altamira, measurements were made in 10 stands of secondary forest with an average age of 4.0 years (range 2 to 7 years) and an average time of use in pasture prior to abandonment of 8.1 years (range 3 to 12 years).  The Paragominas study measured secondary forests in three use-history types: light, moderate and heavy.  Only the moderate category is considered here; this being the category into which the Altamira plots would fall and by far the most common pasture-use pattern in Brazilian Amazonia.  The data set from Paragominas considered here consists of six stands with an average age of 4.6 years (range 1 to 8 years) and an average time under pasture of 8.2 years (range 6 to 12 years).

 

     In the abandoned pastures in Paragominas studied by Uhl et al. (1988), the growth of above-ground live biomass of secondary forests in the "moderate" use category is given by:

 

          Y = 4.28 A                          (1)

 

  where:

          Y =above-ground live biomass (t ha-1)

          A =time since abandonment (years)

 

The average stock of above-ground dead biomass excluding fine litter is 2.6 t ha-1 and the growth rate (mean annual increment) is 0.57 t ha-1 year-1 (Table 2).  The average fine litter stock is 4.9 t ha-1.

 

              (Table 2 here)

 

     In the abandoned pastures in Altamira studied by Guimarães (1993), the above-ground biomass excluding fine litter is given by:

 

          Y =3.38 A - 2.64 B + 35.16                 (2)

              (P < 0.05, r2=0.80, N=7)

 

  where:

          Y =the above-ground biomass (live + dead), excluding fine litter.

          A =time since abandonment (years)

          B =time used as pasture (years).

 

The Altamira equation excludes secondary forest stands aged two or less years.  The young stands have been excluded for several reasons.  Since the age of secondary forest derived from pasture is counted from the date of the last burn rather than the date the last head of cattle is removed, emissions from cutting in the first three years are counted as part of pasture maintenance rather than as secondary forest clearing (Fearnside, in prep.).  In addition, because variability of biomass accumulation is greater in the early years, regressions that include very young stands explain less of the variance than do those that exclude them.  The predicted biomass in the age range of  greatest interest (for stands approximately six years old) is believed to be more reliably predicted by confining the data to stands nearer this age.

 

     The form of regression chosen was linear, rather than the exponential form that one might expect to better represent the slowing of biomass accumulation with time that characterizes secondary forest growth.  In the Altamira study, linear models explained more of the variance, regardless of whether young stands were excluded.  Since the regression is not being used to extrapolate far beyond its range, the linear representation is not believed to result in significant distortion of the predictions.

 

     The calculated growth rates of secondary forests derived from abandoned pastures are shown in Table 3 for Paragominas and in Table 4 for Altamira.  In the case of Paragominas (Table 3), data are presented reflecting the mix of pasture use histories studied by Uhl et al. (1988).  In the case of Altamira (Table 4), the values are derived from Equation 2.  Biomass accumulates faster in shifting cultivation fallows than in the secondary forest derived from pasture at either site (Figure 2).  In Table 5 the Paragominas data are recalculated to adjust for the difference in mean use times as pasture in the two data sets (using Equation 2).  For the unadjusted data, the stands at Paragominas grew at a faster rate than those at Altamira at all ages (up to the maximum of 20 years for the pasture secondary forest data).  When adjusted, the Paragominas stands still grew faster than those at Altamira, except a slightly higher growth rate at Paragominas during the first (4 to 5 year) interval.

 

          (Tables 3, 4 and 5 here; Figure 2 here)

 

     The calculated growth rates of the secondary forests in abandoned pastures are compared to those of shifting cultivation fallows in Table 6.  The pattern of slower growth in pasture-derived secondary forests is maintained.  The most important comparison is the biomass that will be accumulated at the average age at which the secondary forests are cut.  On a regional scale, the average age at which secondary forest derived from pasture is cut estimated at 6.2 years, while the equivalent value for secondary forest derived from farmland is 5.2 years (Fearnside, 1995).  The weighted average for secondary forests of both origins would be 6.1 years.

 

     Below-ground biomass estimates are rare.  One must rely on the root/shoot ratio encountered in studies elsewhere, available only for a few secondary forests in shifting cultivation fallows, rather than abandoned pastures (see Table 1).  The root/shoot ratio (below-ground biomass/live above-ground biomass) used to derive approximate below-ground stocks of six-year-old stands is 0.35 (based on Brown and Lugo, 1990, p. 17).

 

     The average total biomass expected at age 6.2 years for a pasture-derived secondary forest at Altamira would be 52.2 t ha-1 (interpolated from Table 4).  For a pasture-derived secondary forest at Paragominas (from Table 5), it would be 51.4 t ha-1 (46.5 t ha-1 total biomass excluding fine litter + 4.9 t ha-1 fine litter), and for a shifting-cultivation fallow, it would be 66.5 t ha-1: 59.0 t ha-1 total live biomass (interpolated from Table 1) plus values for dead components equal to those for pasture-derived secondary forests with moderate use at Paragominas (2.6 t ha-1 dead above-ground excluding fine litter and 4.9 t ha-1 fine litter).  The total biomass of secondary forest derived from farmland at the average age this category is cut (5.2 years; root/shoot ratio=0.42) would be 49.6 t ha-1, including the same amounts for fine litter and other dead above-ground biomass.

 

              (Table 6 here)

 

CALCULATION OF UPTAKE OF THE REPLACEMENT LANDSCAPE

 

     The carbon uptake rates (t C ha-1 year-1) for land remaining in each of the land-use categories change over time as shown in Figure 3.  If one were to follow the fate of the landscape that was deforested in a given year, for example 1990, its carbon stock and and uptake would increase and eventually level off (Figure 4).  Note that this is for uptake by an average hectare in a landscape where secondary forest stands are continually being cut, thereby repeatedly cycling through the first (most virorously growing) age classes.  The emissions from cutting of the secondary forest are not included in the uptake figures, such as those in Figure 4.  The carbon uptake rate of 0.97 t ha-1 year-1 after 100 years approximates the equilibrium condition.

 

                   (Figures 3 and 4 here)

 

     The landscape that replaces forest following deforestation will evolve as the proportions in each land-use category approach the equilibrium conditions.  The fraction of the landscape in each use at equilibrium can be calculated using a Markov matrix of annual probabilities of transition among different use categories, if one assumes that farmers and ranchers in the region do not change their behavior patterns.  This has been done using a 98 X 98 matrix representing six land-use classes with their respective age classes (Fearnside, 1995).  At equilibrium, the deforested landscape has <0.01% regenerated forest (i.e. secondary forest over 100 years old), 2.6% farmland, 22.8% productive pasture, 36.1% degraded pasture, 2.1% secondary forest from farmland, and 36.3% secondary forest from pasture.

 

     Carbon uptake will approach an equilibrium after about 100 years (Figure 5).  Carbon uptake can be expected to increase as the old secondary forests in Pará and Maranhão are cleared and replaced with younger, more rapidly growing vegetation.  Again, it should be remembered that "carbon uptake" does not include the release of carbon from cutting the secondary forests.

 

                   (Figure 5 here)

 

     The situation in 1990 is summarized in Table 7.  The total (gross) carbon uptake of the landscape is calculated to be 29 X 106 t C year-1 in 1990, or 0.7 t C year-1 ha-1 of deforested landscape.  The uptake for the landscape in 2090 is calculated to be 365 X 106 t C year-1 (0.9 t C year-1 ha-1 of deforested landscape).  This assumes that deforestation continues at the 11.1 X 103 km2 year-1 1991 rate (Fearnside, 1993) for the 1992-1994 period, after which it increases at the rates forecast by Reis and Margulis (1991) for the 1995-2030 period, and remains constant over the 2031-2090 period at the 2030 rate (36 X 103 km2 year-1).  The cumulative deforested area (excluding hydroelectric dams) was 410 X 103 km2 in 1990 (Fearnside, 1993), and would reach 3.9 X 106 km2 in 2090, or virtually the entire forest.

 

              (Table 7 here)

 

DISCUSSION

 

     It should be emphasized that substantial uncertainty exists regarding secondary forest growth rates, especially for the below-ground component.  The root/shoot ratio of 0.42 at age four years used here (based on Brown and Lugo, 1990) is higher than that found in some studies.  Williams-Linera (1983, p. 277) found a root/shoot ratio of 0.21 for a seven-year-old stand in Mexico, considering roots > 1 mm diameter (regardless of depth) excavated for individual trees.  Szott et al. (1994, p. 185), working in Amazonian Peru, found ratios of 0.15 and 0.09, respectively, for stands 3.4 and 4.4 years old, implying a ratio of 0.12 at age four years (considering only roots to 45-cm depth, extracted from soil monoliths by washing on a 1-mm sieve).  Were a lower root/shoot ratio used in the calculation, carbon uptake would be less than the amounts estimated in the present paper.

 

     Carbon uptake by the replacement vegetation is an important part of the carbon balance in areas undergoing tropical deforestation.  Uptake has often been omitted from global warming calculations for lack of data.  On the other hand, exaggerated expectations have sometimes been expressed with respect to this uptake in Brazil, some even suggesting that the sink in secondary forest growth could be completely counteracting the emissions from deforestation in the region.  Unfortunately, the landscape could not possibly be taking up the amount of carbon that this notion implies, even if a variety of optimistic assumptions are made.

 

     Suggestions that all carbon emissions from Brazilian deforestation might be being offset by uptake from the replacement vegetation are based on one or more of the following erroneous assumptions:  1) that young (post-1970) secondary forests cover either all or a much larger fraction of the replacement landscape than is the case, 2) that no emissions occur from clearing of secondary forests, and/or 3) that no emissions occur from reburning and decay of original forest biomass not consumed in the initial burn.  Two additional factors have often contributed to exaggeration of uptake related to deforestation emissions: 1) assumption that secondary forests are shifting cultivation fallows rather than abandoned cattle pastures, and 2) use of deforestation emission estimates based on forest biomass that significantly underestimates the carbon stock, and hence emissions (see review of biomass estimates in Fearnside et al., 1993).

 

     A major reason that the deforested terrestrial landscape takes up so much less carbon than might be imagined is that only 31% of the deforested area is in young (post-1970) secondary forest, and, of this, 90% is abandoned pasture rather than agricultural fallows (Table 7).  The uptake by the replacement vegetation is almost completely offset by emissions from secondary forest clearing within the replacement landscape.  In addition, in order to negate the effects of deforestation, net uptake of the replacement landscape would have to be greater than the total emission including oxidation of unburned forest remains, either through decay or through combustion when pastures and fallows are reburned in succeeding years.  Carbon release from original forest biomass not consumed in the initial burn roughly triples the gross emissions from deforestation as compared to the initial combustion releases alone.

 

     Considering carbon dioxide carbon only, the annual balance of emissions in 1990 (excluding hydroelectric dams and logging) included gross emissions of 62.2 X 106 t C year-1 from the initial burn, 261.5 X 106 t C year-1 from decay and reburnings of original forest biomass; 27.4 X 106 t C from burning and decay of secondary forest biomass (including pre-1970 secondary forests); 31.5 X 106 t C from the top 20 cm of soil, and zero net emission from pasture biomass (which re-absorbs emitted carbon through annual regrowth), or a total of 382.6 X 106 t C year-1 in the form of CO2.  The uptake of 29.4 X 106 t C year-1 calculated here corresponds to only about 8% of these emissions, (considered here on a carbon-only basis: the percentage would be less if considered in terms of CO2-equivalent carbon) (Fearnside, in prep.).  The 1990 uptake of 29.4 X 106 t C year-1 is only 2.0 X 106 t C greater than the 27.4 t C year-1 estimated emission in that year from clearing secondary forest (including 5 X 106 t C from "old", or pre-1970, secondary forests), indicating that the net flux from the replacement landscape offset a minuscule 0.5% of the deforestation emissions.

 

CONCLUSIONS

 

     Land-use change in Brazilian Amazonia is dominated by transformation of forest to cattle pasture.  Degraded cattle pastures regenerate secondary forests more slowly than do fallows in shifting cultivation, leading to lower uptake of carbon than is sometimes believed.  The 1990 rate of emissions from deforestation and secondary forest clearing in the region greatly exceeds the uptake from regrowth of replacement vegetation.  The calculations presented here indicate that in 1990 the landscape was taking up 29 X 106 t of carbon and emitting 27 X 106 t C annually, or a net removal of only about 0.5% of the gross emissions in that year.  Were the present land-use change processes to continue with the deforestation rate increasing in accord with a forecast, uptake by 2090 would increase to 365 X 106 t C year-1, or about one-third of annual gross emissions, at which time the deforested area would be about 10 times the 1990 one, and the annual deforestation rate, under the assumptions of the forecast, about triple the 1990 rate (note that the cumulative area cleared by 2090 corresponds approximately to the whole of the forest, after which there could be no further deforestation).  Land-use change in Brazilian Amazonia would continue to result in net releases of large quantities of carbon even with the large areas of secondary vegetation expected to replace primary forest over the next century.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

     The study was funded by the Pew Scholars Program in Conservation and the Environment and by the 'Capacidade de Suporte Humano na Amazônia' project of the Fundação Banco do Brasil (FBB) (No. 10/1615-2).  S.V. Wilson and two anonymous reviewers made helpful comments


REFERENCES

 

Bartholomew, W.V., Meyer, J. and Laudelout, H., 1953. Mineral nutrient immobilization under forest and grass fallow in the Yangambi (Belgian Congo) region. Publication de l'Institut Nacional pour l'étude Agronomique du Congo Belge. Série Scientifique No. 57, 27 pp.

 

Brown, S. and Lugo, A.E., 1990. Tropical secondary forests. J. Trop. Ecol., 6: 1-32.

 

Ewel, J.J., 1971. Biomass changes in early tropical succession. Turrialba, 21: 110-112.

 

Ewel, J.J., 1975. Biomass of second growth tropical moist forest. In: F.B. Golley, J.T. McGinnis, R.G. Clements, G.I. Child and M.J. Duever (Editors), Mineral Cycling in a Tropical Moist Forest Ecosystem. Univ. of Georgia Press, Athens, pp. 143-150.

 

Fearnside, P.M., 1993. Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia:

The effect of population and land tenure. Ambio, 22(8): 537-545.

 

Fearnside, P.M., 1995. Amazonian deforestation and global warming: Carbon stocks in vegetation replacing Brazil's Amazon forest. For. Ecol. Manage. [forthcoming].

 

Fearnside, P.M., In prep. Amazonia and global warming: Annual balance of greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change in Brazil's Amazon region.  Paper presented at the American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference on Biomass Burning and Global Change, March 13-17, 1995, Williamsburg, Virginia (forthcoming).

 

Fearnside, P.M., Leal Filho, N. and Fernandes, P.M., 1993. Rainforest burning and the global carbon budget: Biomass, combustion efficiency and charcoal formation in the Brazilian Amazon. J. Geophys. Res., 98(D9): 16,733-16,743.

 

Guimarães, W.M., 1993. Liberação de carbono e mudanças nos estoques dos nutrientes contidos na biomassa aérea e no solo resultante de queimadas de florestas secundárias em áreas de pastagens abandonadas, em Altamira, Pará. Masters Thesis, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia/Fundação Universidade do Amazonas (INPA/FUA), Manaus, AM, 69 pp.

 

Lugo, A.E. and Brown, S., 1981. Tropical lands: Popular misconceptions. Mazingira, 5(2): 10‑19.

 

Lugo, A.E. and Brown, S., 1982. Conversion of tropical moist forests: A critique. Interciencia, 7(2): 89‑93.

 

Reis, E.J. and Margulis, S., 1991. Perspectivas Econômicas do Desflorestamento da Amazônia. Textos para Discussão No. 215. Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA), Brasília, DF, 47 pp.

 

Saldarriaga, J.G., West, D.C. and Tharp, M.L., 1986. Forest Succession in the Upper Rio Negro of Colombia and Venezuela. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Publication No. 2694, ORNL/TM-9712. National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA, 164 pp.

 

Szott, L.T., Palm, C.A. and Davey, C.B., 1994. Biomass and litter accumulation under managed and natural tropical fallows. For. Ecol. Manage., 67: 177-190.

 

Uhl, C., Buschbacher, R. and Serrão, E.A.S., 1988. Abandoned pastures in Eastern Amazonia. I. Patterns of plant succession. J. Ecol., 76: 663-681.

 

Williams-Linera, G., 1983. Biomass and nutrient content of two successional stages of tropical wet forest in Uxpanda, Mexico. Biotropica, 15(4): 275-284.


Figure legends

 

Figure 1:Brazil's Legal Amazon region.  Of this 5 X 106 km2 administrative region (60% of Brazil), 4 X 106 km2 was originally forested.

 

Figure 2:Biomass accumulation per hectare in shifting cultivation and pasture.

 

Figure 3:Carbon uptake per different by different land uses.

 

Figure 4:Projected annual carbon uptake per hectare for land deforested in 1990.  Note that stands in this landscape are continually being cut and returned to the younger (more vigorously growing) categories, and that the emissions from the cutting of secondary forests are not included in the uptake rates of the landscape.

 

Figure 5:Projected annual carbon uptake per hectare for the landscape in deforested areas (410 X 103 km2 in 1990, increasing to 3.9 X 106 km2 in 2090).


TABLE 1:  SHIFTING CULTIVATION FALLOW GROWTH(a)

 

Age     Live biomass (t ha-1)       Root/  Average    Growth

(years) ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ shoot  growth     rate of

        Wood  Leaves  Roots  Total  ratio  rate of    total live

                            live          total live biomass   

                                         biomass    in

                                         since      interval

                                         abandon‑   (t ha-1

                                         ment       year-1)(c)

                                         (t ha-1   

                                         year-1)(b)  

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑

5    29.2     4.0    13.8    47.0    0.42      9.4      9.4

 

10    70.8     6.0    23.1    99.9    0.30     10.0     10.6

 

20   110.8    10.0    24.2   145.0    0.20      7.3      4.5

 

30   113.8     9.5    27.7   151.0    0.22      5.0      0.6

 

80   135.4     8.0    28.5   171.9    0.20      2.1      0.4

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑

(a) Biomass values estimated from graph drawn by Brown and Lugo (1990, p. 17) based on data from on Bartholomew et al. (1953), Ewel (1971, 1975), Saldarriaga et al. (1986) and Williams‑Linera (1983).

 

(b) Mean annual increment.

 

(c) Periodic annual increment.


TABLE 2:  SECONDARY FOREST GROWTH RATES IN ABANDONED PASTURES

 

 

LOCATION     Pasture   Fre-        Growth rate (t ha-1 year-1)

             type      quency      ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-------

                      (% of       Above-      Above-

                      pastures)   ground      ground

                                  live        total

                                  biomass     excluding

                                             fine

                                             litter

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑------

Paragominas  Light        20        10.72       11.84

             use

 

 

             Moderate     70         4.28        4.84

             use

 

 

             Heavy        10         2.13        2.27

             use

 

 

 

             Weighted               5.35        5.99

             average

 

Altamira     Moderate     100                   6.5

             use

-------------------------------------------------------------


 

 

 

                   Stand ages           Use periods

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ (years since         (years as pasture)

Above-    Approx-   abandonment)

ground    imate

total     total     ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑------------

          (above-   Mean      Range       Mean       Range

          + below-

          ground)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑---------------

21.23     21.23      6.0      3.5-8         1.0        0-4

 

 

 

5.92      5.92      4.6        1-8         8.2        6-12

 

 

 

3.85      3.85      3.9      2.588         8.7        8-11

 

 

 

 

8.77      8.77      4.8                   6.8

 

 

                    4          2-7         8.1        3-12

 

--------------------------------------------------------------


 

 

 

Sample   Description of pasture type            Source

size

 

 

 

 

 

 

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑

  4      Seeded to pasture but never weeded.   Uhl et al., 1988

         Abandoned shortly after pasture formation.

         Grazing intensity <0.5 adult animals ha-1.

 

  6      Weedings and burnings every 1-3             Uhl et al., 1988

         years.  Abandoned after 6-12 years.

         Grazing intensity 0.5-1.5 adult animals ha-1.

 

  3      After several weedings and burnings,        Uhl et al., 1988

         vegetation bulldozed into windrows and

         burned; pasture replanted and abandoned

         6-13 years later.  Grazing intensity

         0.5=1.5 adult animals ha-1.

 

 

 

  10                                                 Guimarães, 1993

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------


TABLE 3:  CALCULATED BIOMASS AND GROWTH RATES IN ABANDONED PASTURES (Paragominas)

 

 

Time       Expected    Expected    Expected    Root/

since      above-      above-      above-      shoot

abandon-   ground      ground      ground      ratio

ment       live        biomass     biomass

(years)    biomass     excluding   including

           (t ha-1)    fine        fine

                      litter      litter

                      (t ha-1)    (t ha-1)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑----------

  4.8       25.7       28.7         42.1       0.42

  5.0       26.8       29.9         43.9       0.42

  8.0       42.8       47.9         70.2       0.35

10.0       53.5       59.9         87.7       0.30

15.0       80.3       89.8        131.6       0.25

20.0      107.0      119.7        175.5       0.20

------------------------------------------------------

(a) Mean annual increment.

 

(b) Periodic annual increment.


TABLE 4:  CALCULATED BIOMASS AND GROWTH RATES IN ABANDONED PASTURES (Altamira)

 

Time        Expected     Expected     Expected    Root/

since       above-       above-       above-      shoot

abandon-    ground       ground       ground      ratio

ment        live         biomass      biomass

(years)     biomass      excluding    including

            (t ha-1)(a)    fine         fine

                        litter       litter

                        (t ha-1)     (t ha-1)(a)

                                    

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-------------

  4.0        25.0         27.3         32.2         0.42

  5.0        27.8         30.7         35.6         0.42

  8.0        36.3         40.8         45.7         0.35

10.0        41.9         47.5         52.5         0.30

15.0        55.9         64.4         69.4         0.25

20.0        70.0         81.3         86.2         0.20

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-------------

(a) Assumes same dead biomass accumulation rate and fine litter stock as found by Uhl et al. (1988) in moderate use pasture in Paragominas.

 

(b) Mean annual increment.

 

(c) Periodic annual increment.


 

 

 

Approx-   Total       Total         Above-       Above-

imate     biomass     biomass       ground       ground

total     growth      growth        biomass      biomass

biomass   rate        rate          growth       growth

(t ha-1)  since       in            rate         rate

           abandon-    interval      since        in

           ment        (t ha-1        abandonment  interval

           (t ha-1     year-1)        (t ha-1       (t ha-1

           year-1)                    year-1)(b)     year-1)(c)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-------------

38.6        9.7         9.7           6.8           6.8

43.4        8.7         4.8           6.1           3.4

54.9        6.9         3.8           5.1           3.4

61.8        6.2         3.5           4.8           3.4

80.6        5.4         3.7           4.3           3.4

97.6        4.9         3.4           4.1           3.4

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-------------


TABLE 5:  CALCULATED BIOMASS AND GROWTH RATES IN ABANDONED PASTURES IN PARAGOMINAS COMPARABLE TO ALTAMIRA PASTURES

 

 

Time       Expected    Expected    Expected    Root/

since      above-      above-      above-      shoot

abandon-   ground      ground      ground      ratio

ment       live        biomass     biomass

(years)    biomass     excluding   including

           (t ha-1)     fine        fine

                       litter      litter

                       (t ha-1)    (t ha-1)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-------------------

  4.0       17.1         19.4         24.3        0.42

  5.0       21.4         24.2         29.2        0.42

  8.0       34.2         38.7         43.7        0.35

10.0       42.8         48.4         53.4        0.30

15.0       64.2         72.7         77.6        0.25

20.0       85.6         96.9        101.8        0.20

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑--------------------

Note:  Moderate-use pasture only, average age since abandonment 4.0 years (considering all Altamira plots).  Altamira pastures average use as pasture = 8.1 years.


 

 

 

Approx‑     Total         Total

imate       biomass       biomass

total       growth        growth rate

biomass     rate          in interval

excluding   since         excluding

fine        abandon-      fine

litter      ment          litter

(t ha-1)    (t ha-1 year-1) (t ha-1 year-1)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑--------------

26.5         6.6           6.6

33.1         6.6           6.6

50.6         6.3           5.8

61.3         6.1           5.3

88.7         5.9           5.5

114.0        5.7           5.1

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑----------------


TABLE 6:  COMPARISON OF CALCULATED GROWTH OF SECONDARY FOREST IN ABANDONED PASTURE AND IN SHIFTING CULTIVATION FALLOWS

 

Age       Total live biomass

(years)   (t ha-1)

 

          ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑----

          Shifting    Abandoned   Abandoned

          culti-      pasture     pasture

          vation(a)    (Alta-      (Parago-

                     mira)       minas)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-----

5        47.0        38.6         55.0

 

10        99.9        61.8         72.3

 

20       145.0        97.6        111.2

 

30       151.0

 

80       171.9

 

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-------------------------

(a) Shifting cultivation values calculated from Brown and Lugo (1990); abandoned pasture values from Altamira from Guimarães (1993) and from Paragominas from Uhl et al. (1988).  See Tables 3 and 5.

 

(b) Mean annual increment.

 

(c) Periodic annual increment.


 

 

 

Average total live biomass growth

since abandonment

(t ha-1 year-1)(b)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑----------

Shifting   Abandoned   Abandoned

culti-     pasture     pasture

vation     (Alta-      (Parago-

           mira)       minas)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑----------

9.4         8.7          6.6

 

10.0        6.2          6.1

 

7.3         4.9          5.7

 

5.0

 

2.1

 

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑----------


 

 

 

Average total live biomass growth

in interval

(t ha-1 year-1)(c)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-----

Shifting    Abandoned    Abandoned

culti-      pasture      pasture

vation      (Alta=-      (Parago-

            mira)        minas)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-----

  9.4         8.7          6.6

 

10.6         3.7          3.5

 

  4.5         3.6          3.9

 

  0.86

 

  0.4

 

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-----


TABLE 7:  CARBON UPTAKE SUMMARY FOR 1990

 

Vegetation     Area        Percent     Average

type           present     of          age of

               (103 ha)    defor-      land

                           ested       use

                           area        (years)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-----

Farmland        2,221        5           1

 

Productive     18,400       45           4

pasture

 

Degraded          904        2.2         4

pasture

 

Secondary         854        2           3

forest

from farmland

 

Secondary      11,536       28           3

forest

from pasture

 

Pre-1970        7,127       17          30

secondary forest

 

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-----

Total:         41,042      100.0         8

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-----


 

 

 

Total      Average    Average    Total      Average

biomass    total      carbon     carbon     carbon

(106 t)    biomass    content    stock      stock

           (t ha-1)   (%)        (106 t)    (t ha-1)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑---------------

 

         1            1          45         1          0

 

       196            11         45         88         5

 

 

         3            3.4        45         1          1.5

 

 

        25            29         45         11         13

 

 

 

       508            44         45         229        20

 

 

 

     1,053            148        45         474        67

 

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑---------------

     1,787            43.5       45         804        19.6

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑---------------


 

 

 

Average       Total         Average        Total

growth        growth        carbon         carbon

rate (t       (106 t         uptake (t      uptake

ha-1 year-1)    year-1)        C ha-1 year-1)   (106 t)

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑-------------------

 

0             0             0              0

 

0             0             0              0

 

 

0.8           1             0.4            0

 

 

10             8             4              4

 

 

 

5            54             2             24

 

 

 

0             2             0              1

 

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑--------------

1.6          65             0.7           29

‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑--------------


Fig. 1

 


Fig. 2

 


Fig. 3

 


Fig. 4

 


Fig. 5