Carbon Stock of European Beech Forest; A Case at M. Pizzalto, Italy

In order to estimate carbon stock in above ground biomass (CS-AGB) of M. Pizzalto forest in the Central-Apennines in Italy, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) vegetation index data (NDVI and EVI) were used in combination with field data. Biotic and abiotic parameters (slope angle, slope gradient, elevation, seasonal incoming solar radiation, length of growing season (LGS), soil type and forest management type) has been used in the modelling. NDVI and EVI values of field samples were extracted and used to estimate the LGS of beech forest for the six year period (2005-2010).Two management types, old-growth forest and young forest, showed average AGB and CS-AGB were 247 and 123 tons.ha-1 respectively in 2010 comparable to values for beech forests in the Apennines and Europe. LGS and management are the significant variables in a linear regression model for CS - AGB. Therefore, the forest authority can manage the young forest as sinks of carbon in agreement with the Kyoto protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).