Net ecosystem production and carbon balance of an SRC poplar plantation during its first rotation

Across the three approaches, the net carbon balance ranged from 96 to 199 g m−2 y−1 indicating a significant net carbon uptake by the SRC culture. During the establishment year the SRC culture was a net source of carbon to the atmosphere, but already during the second growing season there was a significant net uptake. Both the component-flux-based and pool-change-based approaches resulted in higher values (47-108%) than the EC-estimation of NEE, though the results were comparable considering the considerable and variable uncertainty levels involved in the different approaches. The efficient biomass production - with the highest part of the total carbon uptake allocated to the aboveground wood - led the poplars to counterbalance the soil carbon losses resulting from land use change in a short period of time.