ESTIMATION OF SOIL ORGANIC CARBON IN FACHI NATURAL FORESTS, LIBO KEMEKEM DISTRICT, ETHIOPIA

Forests play enormous role in combating climate change, the most pressing global issue currently, by sequestering and storing carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Forest soil has a capacity to storing a higher amount of carbon reservoir forest floor and soil. This study was conducted to estimate of soil carbon stock in Fach Natural forest in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The study was aimed to explore the potential of climate change mitigation from carbon stock of Fachi Forest. The aim of this research to estimate litter biomass and soil organic carbon forest type of Fachi natural forests in the Amhara Region. A systematic sampling method was used to identify each sampling point through Global Positioning System. Loss on ignition and Walkley Black method were used to estimate biomass and soil carbon stock, respectively. 45 sampling plots using 20 x 20 meters were established through a systematic way in the forest. And the bulk density soil organic carbon was done Bahar Dar soil laboratory. As a result showed that Fachi natural forest the litter carbon and Soil organic carbon was also 1.02 ton/ha and 232.46 ton/ha, respectively. Our result was used as baseline information to estimating forest carbon. The forest in the study area is a reservoir of high carbon, as it has a good capacity to sink carbon from the atmosphere. To enhance the carbon stock of Fach natural Forest, it should be integrated with Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), carbon trading system of the Kyoto Protocol.