Examination of Biomass Production by Afforestation Technologies in Arid Land of Low-Latitude Zone

Abstract

Two afforestation technologies aimed at carbon fixation on arid lands were developed, and the available area where those technologies could be applied was estimated. Eucalyptus camaldulensis grew well on saline and hardpan soils in an arid region in Australia. This species, with tolerance to salt, waterlogging, and drought, showed a prospective annual growth rate of approximately 5.0 t/ha/yr (aboveground biomass) at a planting density of as low as 200 trees/ha under such stressful environment. By classifying the total area of arid land by climate and soil type, a prospect that our technologies could be use to afforest approximately 12% of the world's arid land area was obtained.