Estimation of forest aboveground carbon storage in Sichuan Miyaluo Nature Reserve based on remote sensing

The Miyaluo Nature Reserve is an important carbon sequestration region in Western Sichuan. Study of aboveground forest carbon storage in Miyaluo Nature Reserve is necessary for elucidating the distribution characteristics of forest vegetation carbon storage in alpine gorge areas. Furthermore, it is of great significance to the scientific management of forest resources and the maintenance of forest ecological environments in the nature reserves. In this study, carbon storage models were established for seven main tree species to estimate the carbon storage on forest land. Firstly, 897 samples were obtained from a field survey, and sample biomass and carbon storage were calculated based on the volume-derived biomass method. Secondly, Landsat 8 satellite remote sensing data were used to obtain image characteristics of forest vegetation. Thirdly, combined with forest survey data, 80 factors were determined that were classified into six categories(band information, vegetation index, principal component analysis, texture features, topographic factors, and vegetation growth). Moreover, the correlation between these factors and the biomass of different tree species was analyzed, according to the order of Pearson′s correlation coefficient, the significant correlation factors were then introduced into the multiple linear stepwise regression equation as independent variables, and the estimation models of aboveground carbon storage of different tree species in the tree layer were established. Finally, the aboveground carbon storage of the arbor layer was calculated by the estimation model, and the carbon storage in the shrub layer was calculated using the average biomass density method. The results showed that ① the accuracy of models for carbon storage estimation was within the margin of error, and the correlation coefficient between the measured value and the predicted value of the model was 0.675-0.775. ② The total carbon storage in the forest in the Miyaluo Nature Reserve was 5.861 Tg, of which the aboveground carbon storage in the arbor layer was 5.632 Tg, and the carbon storage in the shrub layer was 0.229 Tg. The order of the aboveground carbon storage of the prominent species was Abies faberi > Picea asperata > Tsuga chinensis > Larix gmelimi > Quercus acutissima > Betula chinensis > Pinus tabulaeformis > Pinus armandi; The total carbon storage of fir trees was 5.098 Tg, accounting for 86.98% of the aboveground carbon storage in the study area. The spruce-fir