Spatial Distribution of Secondary Forests by Age Group and Biomass Accumulation in the Brazilian Amazon

Secondary forests provide essential ecosystem services, especially in helping to mitigate climate change with the storage of carbon in the aboveground biomass of tree species. In this context, the present research aimed to analyze the spatial distribution of secondary forests and estimate the aboveground biomass accumulation of land cover of different ages in the state of Para. The spatial patterns of the secondary forests in Para state were evaluated with hot spot analysis algorithms using data from the TerraClass project for the 2004-2014 time period. The results showed that the spatial distribution of the secondary forests did not occur randomly in space, but suggested local geopolitical influences. The younger secondary forests had the most deforested areas during the study period. Approximately 5% of Para had its secondary forests deforested in 2014. In general, the balance of the secondary forests was positive. The aboveground biomass accumulation differed according to the secondary forest ages during the study period as evaluated in two pilot areas. It was observed that the secondary forests > 10 years old in pilot area A had an average of 23% of old-growth forest aboveground biomass in the same area, while in pilot area B, the secondary forests > 10 years old had an average of 32.7% of old-growth forest aboveground biomass.

Automated summary

This research aimed to analyze the spatial distribution of secondary forests in Para state and estimate the aboveground biomass accumulation of different age land cover. The results showed that the spatial distribution of the secondary forests was influenced by local geopolitics and the younger forests faced the most deforestation. Approximately 5% of Para had its secondary forests deforested in 2014. The aboveground biomass accumulation differed according to the age of the secondary forests in the two pilot areas.