Trees used in vegetation engineering can conserve soil and water, sequestrer CO2 from the atmosphere,and in turn reduce greenhouse effects. Through literature review and direct measurement, we established a database of wood density and carbon fraction for 480 tree species that can be used for soil and water conservation. In the database,the average species-level wood density was 0.55 ± 0.13 (g cm-3), and the average carbon fraction was 46.3 ± 2.2 %.Comparing six biomass estimating equations, the equation in Chave et al. (2014) provided relatively moderate estimates.After identifying tree individuals species, measuring its diameter at breast height (DBH) and height in the field, database users need only query its wood density and carbon fraction in the database, and apply these variables to biomass allometric equations to estimate the carbon stored in the tree (minimum DBH is 5 cm). This process can be used to quantify the amount of carbon captured by vegetation engineering, and highlights the valuable contribution of soil and water conservation plants to ecosystem carbon sequestration services.
Key Words: Carbon sequestration, ecosystem functioning, soil and water conservation plants, bioengineering