Forest community of different tree compositions has covered one-third of Banyumas Regency. Thus, this study aimed to measure the forest community potential for having different tree species and various growth stages to estimate carbon storage in Banyumas regency. The survey was done for seven types of forest community based on tree species composition, i.e., Anthocephalus cadamba, Albizia falcataria, Hevea braziliensis, Acacia mangium, Coffea robusta, Pinus merkusii, and Syzygium aromaticum. The vegetation samples of the private forest were taken with quadrats of 10 m x 10 m. The plant capacity to absorb CO₂ was analyzed through the mass of carbohydrate. The results revealed significant differences in carbon storage between plant species and between plant ages.  The highest carbon storage was found at Jabon trees (Anthosepalus cadamba) (98.16 ton/ha) whereas the lowest was in Coffea robusta (21.96 ton/ha). It was concluded that forest community with a high tree diversity stored more CO₂ than that of monoculture.

Eming Sudiana

Edy Yani