Estimation of above-ground biomass and carbon stock of tree species in public parks of Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Cities play important roles in the conservation of global biodiversity and climate change mitigation, particularly through the planning and management of urban green spaces. Bhubaneswar is a rapidly urbanising city and is witnessing a decline in its green status. This study aims to understand the current species composition and structure in selected urban parks. These urban parks are also reservoirs of carbon stock; and the study estimates park biomass and biomass carbon stocks. We documented 48 species belonging to 44 genera and 22 families in this study. The population structure in the parks revealed that most of the parks lacks trees in the sapling category and hence the regeneration potential is lacking. This may be because of the plantation of various tree species in different planting years. We found the carbon stock ranging from 13.48 Mg in an area of 0.22 ha in SV Park, to 479.49 Mg in an area of 8.91 ha in BP Park. On average, we estimated the biomass per ha to be 32.85 Mg. The difference in carbon stock among the considered parks result from difference in park size, species composition, and structure. Local authorities can use the current assessment of species composition and carbon stock to safeguard the existing trees and prioritise the planting effort in these urban parks.