title: Conventional tree height-diameter relationships significantly overestimate aboveground carbon stocks in the Central Congo Basin.
abstract: Policies to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation largely depend on accurate estimates of tropical forest carbon stocks. Here we present the first field-based carbon stock data for the Central Congo Basin in Yangambi, Democratic Republic of Congo. We find an average aboveground carbon stock of 162 ± 20  Mg  C  ha(-1) for intact old-growth forest, which is significantly lower than stocks recorded in the outer regions of the Congo Basin. The best available tree height-diameter relationships derived for Central Africa do not render accurate canopy height estimates for our study area. Aboveground carbon stocks would be overestimated by 24% if these inaccurate relationships were used. The studied forests have a lower stature compared with forests in the outer regions of the basin, which confirms remotely sensed patterns. Additionally, we find an average soil carbon stock of 111 ± 24  Mg  C  ha(-1), slightly influenced by the current land-use change.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kearsley
authors.forename: Thales
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: de Haulleville
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hufkens
authors.forename: Alidé
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kidimbu
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Toirambe
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baert
authors.forename: Dries
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huygens
authors.forename: Yodit
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kebede
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Defourny
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bogaert
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beeckman
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steppe
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boeckx
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Verbeeck
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D002980:Climate; D003223:Congo; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005843:Geography; D008954:Models, Biological; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D014197:Trees / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D002244:Carbon