3. My Carbon Footprint
According to the Nature
Conservancy's online
estimator for Carbon
use, I use 11 tons of
CO2 annually.
Americans consume 27
tons on average
(Nature Conservancy)
The average person
(worldwide) uses 5.5
tons annually
4. What reduces levels of
Atmospheric CO2?
Plants absorb CO2 through photosynthesis
6CO2+6H2O C6H12O6+6O2
sunlight
The quantity of CO2 sequestered by a plant varies
widely depending on several factors including:
Specific Gravity (wood density)
Diameter & Height
Growth rate
Lifespan
5. At MVI
MVI Carbon Neutral by 2017 Goal, reforestation is one
step being taken in many locations including a 1 hectare
former cattle pasture in the Rachel and Dwight Crandell
Reserve
In 2008, the Fundación Conservacionista Costarricense
and MVI planted 500+ native trees from their own nursery
6. Ocotea spp.
2 of the primary species
planted were Ocotea
monteverdensis (Critically
endangered) and Ocotea
whiteii
As with other members of the
Lauraceae family, they are
vital for the local ecosystem.
O. monteverdensis is new to
science and endemic to this
area.
7. My study
I had 2 questions I wanted to answer through this
study.
How much Carbon do these 2 Ocotea species sequester?
How many trees do I need to plant to offset my annual CO2
usage?
8. Materials & Methods
• I collected data on 21 O.
whiteii & 37 O.
monteverdensis.
• Clinometers (both manual &
electric) used to measure
trees <2+ meters tall
• Diameter tape (calibrated to
units of π in centimeters)
used to measure the DBH
9. Best-Fit Pantropical Model
to calculate AGB (Kg)
AGBest=0.0673 x (ρD2H)0.976
This model was developed to calculate the
Above Ground Biomass (AGB) by Dr. Jérôme
Chave et. al 2014
10. What is Above
Ground Biomass?
The AGB, in this model, it’s the dry weight
above the surface.
The majority of Carbon is stored in this dry
or woody tissue
Less than 5% of sequestered Carbon is
stored in green matter ie. Leafs and small
branches (Chave 2014)
11. Variables Explained
AGBest=0.0673 x (ρD2H)0.976
ρ = Specific Gravity (Wood Density) it is
Species specific.
O. whiteii, has a ρ value of 0.426 g/cm3
(Ecological Society of America)
13. Total Dry Weight (TDW)
TDW = AGB x 14.5%
In addition to the trunk, Carbon is also stored
in roots.
14.5% dry weight is added to the AGB to
account for the roots. (University of Nebraska)
14. Total Carbon Content (CC)
CC = TDW x 50%
50% of the Total Dry Weight (TDW)
is Carbon. (University of Nebraska)
15. Weight of CO2 Sequestered
CO2 Content = Carbon Content x 3.6663
CO2 = 1 Carbon molecule and 2 Oxygen molecules
Atomic weight of Carbon = 12.001115
Atomic weight of Oxygen = 15.9994
The total weight of CO2 is C+2 x O = 43.999915
The ratio of CO2 to C is 43.999915/12.001115 = 3.6663
Broward College
16. Results
Since 2008, these 59 trees have
sequestered 348 Kg or 767.2 lbs. of CO2
Divided by the age the trees, they will
collectively sequester 49.78 Kg or 109.75
lbs. of CO2 this year
17. CO2 Sequestered by
Ocotea spp. This Year
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
O. Whiteii O. Monteverdensis
CarbonDioxide(Kg)
18. Offsetting my yearly
Carbon consumption
11 tons = Quantity of CO2 I use annually
Assuming 3.75 Kg of CO2 sequestered a year
by one O. whiteii
Survival rate of Lauraceae trees in the
Monteverde region ≈ 80%
6.4 + 0.2(6.4) ≈ 8 trees
I need to plant 8 trees to offset my Carbon
usage this year.
19. This allometric model
explained
This model yields an estimation. It is not 100%
accurate
It is Chave’s new pantropical model.
According to Chave, “this model performed well across
forest types and bioclimatic conditions (2014).
It tends to underestimate CO2 sequestered by large
trees.
20. Allometric model
explained cont.
There is interspecies variation of the specific gravity
depending on the age and climatic conditions among other
variables.
There are other models that are diameter specific
These however, were for temperate tree species
Or were based on planation grown trees (for timber) and the exact
weight of the tree was known because the trees were cut
21. Why study carbon
sequestration in the Tropics?
There has been a lot of research on how much
carbon trees can sequester.
However, almost all research has been done on
trees in temperate regions (namely the US,
Canada, & Europe).
Virtually nothing is known about the abilities of
tropical trees to sequester carbon.
22. The importance of
further research
The market for carbon offsets is booming.
the regulated market is worth $70 billion globally (The National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences 2009)
Carbon purchasing can encourage reforestation and the
preservation of existing forests.
It is predicted that tropical trees can sequester larger amounts
of carbon because of the increased growing season and growth
rates.
This increases the value of tropical forests.
23. Acknowledgements
My professor, Sofía Acre Flores
The MVI Director, Deborah Hamilton
The Nueva School, San Francisco, California
My fellow classmates, Elena Bishop, Lily Eden,
Lauren Sohn, & Todd Troester
