THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY PHAM NGOC HUYEN ESTIMATING BIOMASS OF RUBBER TREE PLANTATION (HEVEA BRASILIENSIS) IN DONG NAI BIOSPHERE RESERVE, VIET NAM MASTER THESIS Study Mode: Full-time Major: Master of Environmental Science Faculty: Advanced Education Program Batch: 2021 - 2023 Thai Nguyen, 02/08/2023 Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry Degree Program Master of Environmental Science Student name Pham Ngoc Huyen Student ID N/A Estimating biomass of rubber tree plantation (Hevea Thesis Title brasiliensis) in Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, Viet Nam Supervisor (s) Dr. Nguyen Dang Cuong Dr. Nguyen Van Thinh Supervisor’s Signature Abstract: The rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is one of the essential crops of Vietnam, contributing to the development of the agriculture sector. In addition, in the processing industry, rubber products and wood are bringing in significant export revenue for the country.
Studies on biomass in planted forests have been conducted in different areas throughout the country for fast-growing tree species such as Acacia hybrid, Acacia mangium, Eucalyptus. However, research on biomass of rubber tree planted forests has not received much attention in Vietnam. This study was carried out to determine the biomass of individual rubber trees as well as the forest stand of rubber tree plantation, and to propose a specific basis determining the ability of carbon absorption at different ages of rubber tree plantation in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. Rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, biomass, Biosphere Keywords: Reserve Number of pages: Date of Submission: ii TABLE OF CONTENT LIST OF FIGURES.
1 LIST OF TABLES. 2 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. Research questions and hypotheses. Materials and methods.
Method of sample plot surveying. Method of determining the biomass of individual rubber trees at different ages. Method of determining the biomass of Hevea brasiliensis plantation stands at different ages. Data processing methods.
The method of determining fresh and dry biomass for individual trees in a rubber plantation forest stand. The method of determining the biomass of planted forest rubber trees. The method of determining the carbon stocks of individual trees and rubber plantation forest stands at different ages. The method of establishing correlation between growth criteria and stand biomass with some growth factors.
The total area of Hevea brasiliensis plantation in Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. The total area of Hevea brasiliensis -species plantation by province. The total area of Hevea brasiliensis plantation according to the functional zoning planning of Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. The total area of Hevea brasiliensis plantation by 3 types of forest planning.
The total area of Hevea brasiliensis plantation under forest management. Growth characteristics and composition of Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Growth characteristics of Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Diameter and height growth characteristics.
Growth characteristics in terms of standing volume and total basal area. Characteristics of Hevea brasiliensis plantation at different ages. The biomass of individual Hevea brasiliensis trees at different ages. Fresh biomass of individual trees.
Dry biomass of individual trees. The biomass of Hevea brasiliensis plantation at different ages in Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. Fresh biomass and dry biomass of the upper layer of Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Biomass of shrubs in Hevea brasiliensis plantation.
Fresh biomass of shrubs and herbs and grasses in rubber plantation. Dry biomass of shrubs in rubber plantation. Results of determining biomass of organic matter and litter and litter in Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Fresh biomass of organic matter and litter and litter in Hevea brasiliensis plantation.
Dry biomass of organic matter and litters in Hevea brasiliensis plantation. The total fresh and dry belowground biomass of the tree in the Hevea brasiliensis plantation. The composition of total biomass in the Hevea brasiliensis plantation area. The composition of fresh aboveground biomass in the Hevea brasiliensis plantation.
Carbon stocks of individual trees and trees at different ages of Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Results of determining individual tree carbon stocks. Determining the carbon stock of tree layer in Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Correlation results between biomass and some growth factors.
Relationship between height and diameter at breast height (DBH/Height). The relationship between some growing factors and the biomass of tree layer in rubber plantation. Relationship between fresh and dry biomass of shrubs and grasses in Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Relationship between fresh and dry biomass of organic matter and litter in Hevea brasiliensis plantation.
Application of Hevea brasiliensis plantation biomass research and potential participation of Vietnam in the carbon market. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION. 78 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to acknowledge and give my warmest thanks to my supervisors, Dr. Nguyen Dang Cuong and Dr.
Nguyen Van Thinh who made this work possible. Their guidance and advice carried me through all the stages of writing my project. Their expertise and patience also have been invaluable to me and have played a crucial role in the success of this thesis. I would also like to thank my committee members for letting my defense be an enjoyable moment, and for your brilliant comments and suggestions, thanks to you.
I hereby declare that this is my own research work. The data used in the thesis is part of the State-funded independent research project “Research on the carbon storage capacity of forest types in Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve” code DTL.XH- 06/20 chaired by the Silviculture Research Institute, Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences and implemented in the period of 2020-2023. The data and results in my thesis “Estimating biomass of rubber tree plantation (Hevea brasiliensis) in Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, Viet Nam” are honest and have never been published in any other research work. If the content of my research overlaps with any published research work, I take full responsibility and comply with the conclusions of the thesis evaluation of the Scientific Council.
Thai Nguyen,02nd August 2023 Signature vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of the sample plot located in the research area. The area of Hevea brasiliensis plantation by different ages. Map of the current total area of Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve.
Average growth rate of the Hevea brasiliensis plantaion volume. Quality of Hevea brasiliensis plantation. The distribution of the number of trees by diameter. Forest biomass composition of 5-year-old planted Hevea.
Total fresh forest biomass of 5-year-old Hevea brasiliensis. 55 1 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. The total of sample plots surveyed in the research area. Limiting factors for rubber tree plantations.
Total area of Hevea brasiliensis plantation by age in some provinces in 2021. The total area of Hevea brasiliensis plantation by three zones. The total area of Hevea brasiliensis plantation classified according to. The total area of the Hevea brasiliensis plantation categorized.
Growth of diameter and height of Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Volume and total basal area of the Hevea brasiliensis plantation. Volume of Hevea brasiliensis plantation by site classification. Composition of fresh biomass of Hevea brasiliensis.
Composition of dry biomass of Hevea brasiliensis. The total of fresh biomass and dry biomass of the upper layer of Hevea. Composition of fresh biomass of shrubs under the tree layer. Composition of dry biomass of shrubs and ground cover under the tree.
Fresh biomass of organic matter and litter under the tree layer. Dry biomass of organic matter and litter under the tree layer. The total belowground fresh and dry biomass of the tree layer. The composition of fresh aboveground biomass in the Hevea.
The composition of dry aboveground biomass in the Hevea. Carbon and CO2 stock in dry biomass of individual. The carbon and CO2 stock of tree layer in Hevea brasiliensis. Statistical indicators describing the relationship.
Correlations between some investigation factors and fresh biomass of high. Correlations between some investigation factors and dry biomass of high trees layer in Hevea brasiliensis plantation in Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. Correlations between dry and fresh biomass of shrubs in Hevea brasiliensis plantation in Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. Correlations between dry and fresh biomass of organic matter and litter in Hevea brasiliensis plantation in Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve.
63 3 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS DBH Diameter at breast height CHM Canopy height model ADG Average diameter growth AHG Average height growth CDM Clean Development Mechanism GPS Global Positioning System AGBC Aboveground biomass carbon BGBC Belowground biomass carbon AGB Aboveground biomass BGB Belowground biomass 4 PART I. Research rationale The Rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) originates from the Amazon rainforest in South America, and the rubber seeds were successfully introduced into Vietnam in 1897, becoming a crop for producing natural rubber and rubber wood (Vietnam Rubber Group, 2019). Currently, Hevea brasiliensis is one of the important crops in Vietnam, contributing to the development of the processing industry of rubber products and rubber wood, and bringing in important export revenue for the country. Rubber tree planted forests have the largest area among perennial industrial crops, reaching 969,700 ha in 2017, spreading from the Southeast to the Central Highlands, Central and Northern mountainous regions.
Among them, the area of small holder rubber farms accounts for 495,000 ha, with a production of 678,200 tons and an average yield of 1.71 tons/ha, contributing to the national average yield of 1.68 tons/ha and leading in Asian countries in the past 5 years (Vietnam Rubber Association, 2018). The total area of rubber plantation in the five provinces within the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve is 56,914 hectares, accounting for 5.81% of the total area of the region (which is 979,803 hectares). Among them, Binh Phuoc has the largest area of rubber plantation with 35,222.76 hectares, accounting for 61.89% of the total area, followed by Lam Dong with 9,028.35 hectares, accounting for 15.86% of the total area. Dong Nai has the smallest area of rubber plantation within the boundary of the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, with only 730.70 hectares, accounting for 1.28% of the total area (Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve Management Board, 2022).
According to a report on CO2 sequestration from rubber tree plantation presented by the Indonesian Rubber Research Institute at the 2nd International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Biological Sciences (ICAEBS'15) in Indonesia in 2015, Hevea brasiliensis can play a role in mitigating greenhouse gas effects by absorbing CO2 from the air. The research results on RRIM 600 species planted in 1979 at 33 years of age showed that the volume of wood in the trunk, branches, and twigs was 1.954 m3/tree, and the biomass was 1. From this 5 biomass, the estimated amount of carbon sequestered by RRIM 600 (with average growth) was 39.06 tons/ha/year (Kusdiana & Putri, 2015). With a lifespan of over 25-30 years, rubber plantation can function as a significant carbon sink.
Studies on biomass in planted forests have been conducted in many areas throughout the country for fast-growing tree species such as Acacia hybrid, Acacia mangium, Eucalyptus. However, research on biomass of Hevea brasiliensis planted forests has not received much attention in Vietnam. Hence, this study was carried out to determine the biomass of individual trees as well as the forest stand of rubber tree planted forests, creating a basis for the determination of the ability to absorb carbon at different ages of rubber tree forests in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. Research objectives The approach of this research study is to provide a scientific basis for determining the potential carbon sequestration and commercial value of Hevea brasiliensis planted forests in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve.
Hence, the specific objectives of this research study are to: i) Identify the current state of rubber tree planted forests in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. ii) Determine the growth characteristics and structural features of Hevea brasiliensis planted forests on different site classes in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve. iii) Decide the biomass of individual Hevea brasiliensis planted on different site classes in the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve.