Soil quality, carbon stock and climate change mitigation potential of Dipterocarp natural and planted forests of Tripura, Northeast India

Stand structure of trees is proportionally related to biomass and carbon stock production of an ecosystem. Dipterocarp ( D. turbinatus Gaertn.) dominated natural forest can significantly improve the soil quality and capture carbon (C) to mitigate the climate change. The study compared soil quality, carbon stock and climate change mitigation potential of two dipteocarp dominated forest sites contrasting in management in the state of Tripura, northeast India. Stand characteristics such as tree density, basal area, diameter of breast height was measured by laying eight 31.62 m × 31.62 m quadrats. Estimation of tree biomass was carried out using the locally developed allometric equation. Nineteen tree species were recorded from the Dipterocarp dominated natural forest (DNF) while the Dipterocarp planted forest (DPF) contained six tree species. Tree density (individual ha − 1 ) and basal area of individuals trees (m 2 ha − 1 ) were 590 ± 15.27, 0.103–3.061 ± 0.02 and 470 ± 6.9, 0.121–3.857 ± 0.03 in DNF and DPF, respectively. Aboveground biomass carbon (AGBC) was significantly (P = 0.092) higher in DPF than DNF and the former had higher basal area than the latter. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stock was significantly (P