Guide to Understand the Bamboo Resource: - How much.? - Distribution of Bamboo stock - Major species - Amount of carbon in bamboo forests - How much can be extracted

1. Bamboo stock and carbon
assessment
Bamboo stock and carbon
assessment
Trinh Thang Long

2. Training expectation
• What you expect to learn from this training
workshop
• What you will expect to use the knowledge gained
from this training workshop

3. Primary objectives
• Understand bamboo resource:
– How much
– Distribution of bamboo stocks
– Major species
– How much carbon stored in bamboo forests
– How much can be extracted

4. Bamboo forest
• Definition of bamboo forest

5. Main steps for bamboo stock assessment
• Set up objectives
• Selection of bamboo biomass and carbon pools
• The choice of methods
• Check available information such as allometric equations
• Stratification of bamboo forest map
• Designing sample plots
– Sample shapes
– Sample size
– Sample plot layout
– Calculation of number of sample plots
• Field measurement

6. Biomass and carbon pools
• Above ground bamboo biomass
• Below ground bamboo biomass
• Biomass and carbon in litter
• Non- bamboo biomass and carbon
• Soil organic carbon

7. Challenges of bamboo resource
assessment
• Lack of international guidelines
• Bamboo is hollow inside
• Relationship between diameter, volume and weight
is different from species and locations
• Culms can be very dense in clumping bamboo
• Site specific measurement
• Volume measurement metric may not be useful

8. The choice of methods
• Destructive measurement
Fell culms or clumps to measure biomass of selected
components (AGB, BGB, Non Bamboo Biomass, Litter)
• Non- destructive measurement
Use available (or develop) allometric equations to
estimate biomass of bamboo plant (AGB, BGB, Non
Bamboo Biomass, Litter) measuring predictors
mentioned in the selected allometric equations

9. Non- destructive methods- AGB
• Culm base measurement
– Dbh (cm), Hculm (m), A (year)
• Clump based measurement
a) D and H of average culm per age group and number of
culms per age group
b) Gclump, Dclump, H clump, Nculm and Nclump

10. Sample plot shape
• Sample shape
– Rectangle
– Square
– Circular
– Clump based sampling

11. Pros and cons
Plot shape Advantage Disadvantage Remark
Circular plot - The perimeter of the plot is
smallest.
- It is easy to set up on the
sloping land without any
angle.
- If the clumping bamboo is
very dense with culms, it is
difficult to measure the
radius of the circular plot.
In many cases, the circular plot is
more efficient.
Square/ rectangular
plots
- On a flat land, it can achieve
the correct angles.
- For running bamboo or
clumping bamboo with no
dense culms, it can achieve
the correct boundary.
- On a sloping land, it is
difficult to make a correct
angle of the plot corners.
- The perimeter of the plot is
larger than the circular plot.
- If clumping bamboo is very
dense with culms, it is
difficult to form the plot.
The square/rectangular plots are
only suitable for flat lands and
running bamboo.
Clump-based
sampling
- For clumping bamboo with
very dense culms, it is easy
to measure correctly only
distances among clump.
- On a sloping land, there is
no angle.
- Not for running bamboo. The clump sampling should only
be applied to clumping bamboo
with very dense culms and where
it is hard to establish either the
circular or the rectangular plot.

12. Sample size
ID Plot size Running bamboos Clumping bamboos
Culms per ha Culms per plot Clump per ha Clump per plot
1 100 m2
6000-over 12,000 60-120 150-200 1.5-2
2 200 m2
3000-6000 60-120 50-150 1-3
3 400 m2
< 3000 60-120 20-50 1-2

13. Layout sample plots
Simple random Systematic Cluster of plots
layout of plots layout of plots

14. Calculation of number of sample plots
required

15. Calculation of sample plots
• Calculation of sample plots

16. Creation of randam sample plots
Creation of random points with Arc GIS, QGIS

17. Circular plot

18. Layout circular plot in the field
• Using distance measurement equipment

19. Using ropes for circular plot
• 4 ropes with knot marks
• Tape
• Slope measuring (compass)
• 5 marking poles
• Measuring equipment

20. Using rope for square/rectangle plot
• 4 ropes
• Tape
• 6 marking poles
• Slope measuring
(compass)
• Measuring
equipment

21. Clump based sample
• Tape
• Slope measuring
(compass)
• Measuring
equipment
• Marking colour

22. Half plot
• In cases when the centre of the plots falls near the
edge of the stand including voids, such as roads,
lakes or power line

23. Group discussion
• Selection of biomass and carbon pools
• Selection of methods
• Selection of sample plot shape and size
What and why?

24. THANK YOUTHANK YOU
Trinh Thang Long
ttlong@inbar.int
www.inbar.int