%0 Journal Article
%T An Inventory of the Above Ground Biomass in the Mau Forest Ecosystem, Kenya
%A Mwangi James Kinyanjui
%A Petri Latva-K£¿yr£¿
%A Prasad Sah Bhuwneshwar
%A Patrick Kariuki
%A Alfred Gichu
%A Kepha Wamichwe
%J Open Journal of Ecology
%P 619-627
%@ 2162-1993
%D 2014
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/oje.2014.410052
%X <p style=\"text-align:justify;\">
	<span style=\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;\">Biomass assessment of the Mau Forest Ecosystem (MFE) was done </span><span style=\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;\">as part of Kenya¡¯s greenhouse gas inventory. </span><span style=\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;\">Trans Mara and Mount Londiani forest blocks representing extremes of
vegetation types in the MFE were selected for ground data. Based on canopy
closure, four forest strata were identified as very dense, moderately dense,
open and bamboo. In each stratum, 5 clusters each with 4 plots measuring 30 m </span><span style=\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;\">¡Á</span><span style=\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:;\" \"=\"\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> 30 m were located.
Big trees (D</span><sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">1.3</span></sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> ¡Ý 10 cm) were measured per species for diameter at
breast height (D</span><sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">1.3</span></sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">) in the whole plot while height was measured for
every 5</span><sup><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">th</span></sup><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> tree. Poles (10 cm &gt; D</span><sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">1.3</span></sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> ¡Ü 5) were measured
for D</span><sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">1.3</span></sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> in a 10 </span></span><span style=\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;\">¡Á</span><span style=\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:;\" \"=\"\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> 10 m concentric
sub plot. Saplings (5 cm &gt; D</span><sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">1.3</span></sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">; ht ¡Ý 1.5 m) and seedlings (ht &lt;
1.5 m) were enumerated per species within 5 </span></span><span style=\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;\">¡Á</span><span style=\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;\"> 5 m and 2 </span><span style=\"font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;\">¡Á</span><span style=\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:;\" \"=\"\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> 2 m concentric sub
plots, respectively. Data were recorded in a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
and quality checked with Open Foris Collect software. Allometric equations that
have been used for similar vegetation in Kenya were used to relate D</span><sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">1.3</span></sub><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> and height with biomass. The tree data were uploaded to
%K Forest
%K Biomass
%K Inventory
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=48006