Changes in above-ground carbon storage with non-native forest to multi-strata agroforest transitions in Heʻeia, Oʻahu
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2024-08-09
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Abstract
As a result of land-use change and the intentional and non-intentional spread of invasive species,
approximately 40% of Hawaiʻiʻs forests are dominated by non-native species, particularly in low
elevations. One land restoration strategy with the potential to restore biodiversity and ecosystem
services is agroforestry, which was practiced widely across Hawaiʻi prior to European contact.
Agroforestry, which combines trees and crops, also offers the potential to sequester and store
carbon, with implications for Hawaiʻi’s carbon neutrality goals. However, in these non-natives to
agroforestry transitions, there is a need to understand how carbon storage changes and is
recuperated through time, from clearing of non-native trees to the growth of intentionally planted
and cultivated species. Therefore, to gain an understanding of how carbon storage changes over
time, this project compares baseline above-ground carbon measurements in trees, coarse woody
debris, and litter in a non-native forest prior to agroforestry restoration and a young five
year-old agroforest in Heʻeia, Oʻahu. The Puʻulani Agroforest is a young agroforestry site at
Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi, Heʻeia, Oʻahu, where a mix of native, canoe, and food trees and other plants are the
focus of the restoration. Carbon measurements were taken using above ground methods with the
baseline data from 2018 and the five year updated data in 2023. The measurements were made by
collecting and weighing the leaf litter samples, while using allometric equations to determine
carbon in trees. Allometric equations use the diameter at breast height, (DBH) and wood density to
estimate biomass and carbon content. The control plot serves as the invasive forest using the same
methods. It was found that plants in 2023 are too young to contribute significant amounts of carbon
when compared to the 2018 data. However, the data shows promising results for the use of
canoe plants along with Koa in restoration projects.
Description
Thesis project compares baseline above-ground carbon measurements in trees, coarse woody debris, and litter in a
non-native forest prior to agroforestry restoration and a young five year-old agroforest in Heʻeia,
Oʻahu. The Puʻulani Agroforest is a young agroforestry site at Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi, Heʻeia, Oʻahu, where a
mix of native, canoe, and food trees and other plants are the focus of the restoration. Carbon
measurements were taken using above ground methods with the baseline data from 2018 and the five
year updated data in 2023. The measurements were made by collecting and weighing the leaf litter
samples, while using allometric equations to determine carbon in trees. Allometric equations use
the diameter at breast height, (DBH) and wood density to estimate biomass and carbon content. The
control plot serves as the invasive forest using the same methods. It was found that plants in 2023
are too young to contribute significant amounts of carbon when compared to the 2018 data. However,
the data shows promising results for the use of
canoe plants along with Koa in restoration projects.
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