Carbon baseline in a mixed pine-oak forest in the Juarez mountain range (Oaxaca, Mexico) using the co2fix v.3.2 model = Línea base de carbono en bosque mixto de pino-encino de la sierra Juárez (Oaxaca, México). Aplicación del modelo co2fix v.3.2L

Abstract

Forest stands play a key role in carbon (C) sequestration. Numerous methods and models have been developed to estimate the carbon reservoirs and flows present in these ecosystems. In this study, the CO2FIX v.3.2 simulation model was used to analyse the C baseline in a pine-oak forest in the Juarez Mountain Range (“Sierra Juarez”), Oaxaca, Mexico. The first aim was to compare the results of this model with results obtained by direct sampling and allometric equations. Moreover, a second objective was to identify the elements which constitute the C baseline for a possible assessment of further forestry management which includes the environmental service of C sequestration. Once the data were obtained and results compared with previous studies, it was found that the CO2FIX v3.2 model is capable of determining the C reservoirs and flows in these ecosystems simply and efficiently, thereby enabling estimation of the C baseline. This provides communities with limited economic resources access to a tool which is capable of assessing the ability to sequestrate C and receive support as part of the environmental service of C sequestration.