Evaluation of carbon sequestration service in the forest ecosystem (Case study: Hyrcanian Forests, North Iran)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Agricultural Economics, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Agricultural Economics, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran

10.22124/cjes.2025.9175

Abstract

The present study investigates the carbon sequestration service and its economic value in Hyrcanian forests. Eleven Hyrcanian forest communities with different spatial conditions (Guilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan basins) in Northern Iran were studied in 2022-2023. To examine the amount of carbon production, information from the Iranian Forestry and Watershed Management Organization, GIS 10.7, INVEST 3.9, and the replacement cost method were used. The results showed that the level of carbon sequestration varied depending on spatial conditions, species, and other factors. Different species followed distinct growth patterns. In addition, carbon sequestration varied from a minimum of 221 tons ha-1 in the mixed forest community of Asalem, Guilan, area 7, to a maximum of 314 tons ha-1 in the hornbeam Nur-Chamestan forest community, Mazandaran, area 51, with an average of 261 tons ha-1 in all the study areas. The cost of carbon sequestration was calculated based on the costs of carbon capture and storage, approximately $110 per ton. As a result, the average value per ha and the total forests studied were estimated at 12068 and 937451914 million IRR, respectively. By generalizing this figure to the total area of ​​northern Iranian forests (2.3 million hectares), the value of northern forests for carbon sequestration was 27755614523 million IRR, equivalent to $67308 million. Policymakers at national and regional levels should incorporate carbon sequestration values into environmental planning, carbon offset mechanisms, and payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes to incentivize forest conservation and climate mitigation. This integration should be accompanied by forest management strategies that are tailored to the ecological characteristics and carbon sequestration potential of different forest types, prioritizing high-biomass ecosystems such as beech forests for targeted conservation efforts.

Keywords

References

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Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences

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Available Online from 03 November 2025

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