Carbon stocks and fluxes in a temporal scaling from a savanna to a semi-deciduous forest

The strength of carbon sink and stock was assessed in a protected savanna of the Orinoco Llanos by the harvesting plant phytomass and using allometric relationships between the dry mass and the censuses of plant height. Thus, changes in the carbon stock and the proportion in the tree/grass proportion were evaluated throughout age states. Results indicate that the carbon stock in the vegetation increased from 207 to 9215 g C m −2 whereas in the soil, it varied 6680 to 12 196 g C m −2. The carbon stock accumulation was mainly related to increases in the woody layer from 36 to 9215 g C m −2 (255-fold) and in the soil from 1341 to 12 196 g C m −2 (nine-fold), respectively. The estimated pool of carbon sequestered in the Orinoco Llanos by the restored forest in 51 years was 5.69 Pg C. The expansion and conservation of this carbon pool might remove CO 2 from the atmosphere to help compensate for CO 2 liberation associated with other land uses or industrial practices.