Forest Carbon Storage and Carbon Sequestration Potential in Shaanxi Province, China
and Wenfa Xiao 4Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
1) The Introduction section should clarify whether similar carbon stock assessments have been conducted in other provinces. Links to relevant studies should be provided.
2) In the “Material and methods” section, it is necessary to add a figure (map) indicating the location of the study area, preferably indicating the forested lands of the region.
3) The manuscript should explain whether alternative estimates of carbon stock and carbon sequestration have been conducted in the province's forests.
4) Line 152. It is necessary to correct “2.2.1.4. Biomass of shrubland" to "2.2.4. Biomass of shrubland".
5) Line 255. Figure 2. On the far right graph, the text needs to be clarified.
6) Line 305. Possible changes in carbon sequestration potential should be written in the future tense.
7) Section 3.4 (The carbon sequestration potential...). Forecasting changes is usually carried out using several scenarios. In the manuscript, possible changes in the carbon sequestration potential of forests are carried out under only one scenario. Were forecasts made using other methods?
8) Line 329 and Line 331. In the text to Figures 4 and 5, it is necessary to clarify that possible changes are meant.
9) Lines 501-504. The reference to the article “Forzieri, G., Dakos, V., McDowell, .....” is repeated twice.
In the manuscript, in section 3.4 (The carbon sequestration potential.....) and in section 5 (Conclusion), some sentences need to be changed so that it is clear that we are talking about possible, and not actual changes.
Author Response
1) The Introduction section should clarify whether similar carbon stock assessments have been conducted in other provinces. Links to relevant studies should be provided.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have supplemented relevant literature, including research on forest carbon storage and carbon sink potential across the country and other provinces in China, as suggested by both reviewers. Please see in line 70-81.
2) In the “Material and methods” section, it is necessary to add a figure (map) indicating the location of the study area, preferably indicating the forested lands of the region.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have supplemented the geographical location map of Shaanxi Province in the ‘Material and methods’ section, as well as a description of the research area overview.
3) The manuscript should explain whether alternative estimates of carbon stock and carbon sequestration have been conducted in the province's forests.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. In the introduction section, the evaluation of forest carbon storage and carbon sequestration capacity in Shaanxi Province was introduced, but research on future carbon sequestration potential has not been reported yet. Therefore, based on this, we evaluated the carbon storage, carbon sequestration capacity, and carbon sink potential of Shaanxi Province using the latest forest resource inventory data.
4) Line 152. It is necessary to correct “2.2.1.4. Biomass of shrubland" to "2.2.4. Biomass of shrubland".
Response: Thank you for pointing out the issue. We have corrected it. Please see in line 175.
5) Line 255. Figure 2. On the far right graph, the text needs to be clarified.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have changed the seventh and ninth forest resource inventories to 2005 and 2015 as suggested by both reviewers.
6) Line 305. Possible changes in carbon sequestration potential should be written in the future tense.
Response: Thank you for pointing out the issue. We have corrected it. Please see in line 326.
7) Section 3.4 (The carbon sequestration potential...). Forecasting changes is usually carried out using several scenarios. In the manuscript, possible changes in the carbon sequestration potential of forests are carried out under only one scenario. Were forecasts made using other methods?
Response: Thank you for your comment. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of methodologies aimed at predicting the carbon sequestration potential of forests. These methodologies involve the utilization of various data sources, such as forest resource inventory data and remote sensing data, as well as the application of statistical modeling techniques like random forest modeling or nonlinear fitting methods. Several recent studies have quantified the magnitude of future forest biomass carbon storage by fitting of unit area stock-age equation[1-5], and achieved good simulation results. These studies all modeled biomass carbon sequestration potential using current forest conditions (excluding additional logging and climate factors) as a single scenario, and the modeling results were relatively accurate. For the purposes of this study, regional scale forest resource inventory data, which includes information on area, volume, and forest age, was utilized. Forest age is a crucial factor in determining the overall forest stock, and thus, it is instrumental in establishing the fitting equation for forest age and unit area volume.
8) Line 329 and Line 331. In the text to Figures 4 and 5, it is necessary to clarify that possible changes are meant.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We annotated the content in the title section of Figures 4 and 5.
9) Lines 501-504. The reference to the article “Forzieri, G., Dakos, V., McDowell, .....” is repeated twice.
Response: Thank you for pointing out the issue. We have removed duplicate references. Please see in line 490.
References:
- He, N., Wen, D., Zhu, J., Tang, X., Xu, L., Zhang, L.,Yu, G., Vegetation carbon sequestration in Chinese forests from 2010 to 2050. Global change biology, 23(4), 1575-1584.
- Cai, W., He, N., Li, M., Xu, L., Wang, L., Zhu, J., Sun, O. J., Carbon sequestration of Chinese forests from 2010 to 2060: Spatiotemporal dynamics and its regulatory strategies.Science Bulletin, 67(8), 836-843.
- Yu,H., Lee, W. K., Son, Y., et al. Estimating carbon stocks in Korean forests between 2010 and 2110: a prediction based on forest volume–age relationships[J]. Forest Science and Technology, 2013, 9(2): 105-110.
- Sun, X., Wang, G., Huang, M., Chang, R., & Ran, F., Forest biomass carbon stocks and variation in Tibet’s carbon-dense forests from 2001 to 2050.Scientific Reports, 6(1), 34687.
- Peng, B., Zhou, Z., Cai, W., Li, M., Xu, L., & He, N. 2023. Maximum potential of vegetation carbon sink in Chinese forests.Science of The Total Environment, 167325.
Reviewer 2 Report
Considerable editing is needed:
Consistent formatting and use of CO2
Express % to nearest .1
Use 2005 and 2014 instead of 7th and 9th inventories throughout ms., including figures.
hm2 = ha?
Line 62. Griscom et al not in References
Line 501. duplicate listing of Forzieri
References format needs to be consistent with Forests requirement
Line 108, et al. "four-side" trees = Windbreak?
Line 147. Add reference for 0.47
Line 202. Which Fu reference?
Line 205. Refernce for Origin 21?
Line 214, et al. "," missing
Line 167, et al. "," missing
Line 228 et al. words need to be separated
Tables 2 and 3 Move units from end of caption to after "Storage" and "Density", respectively
Lines 384-419 Edit and Combine?
Can be improved
Author Response
1) Considerable editing is needed:
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have checked the entire text and made all necessary modifications.
2) Consistent formatting and use of CO2
Response: Thank you for pointing out the issue. We have checked the full text format and have corrected the incorrect ones.
3) Express % to nearest .1
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. But I don't understand what you mean. If further modifications are needed, I will continue to improve it.
4) Use 2005 and 2014 instead of 7th and 9th inventories throughout ms., including figures.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have changed the 7th and 9th forest resource inventories to 2005 and 2015 as suggested by both reviewers.
5) hm2 = ha?
Response:Thanks for your meticulous comment. In China, the unit of area: ha=hm2.
6) Line 62. Griscom et al not in References
Response:Thanks for your meticulous comment. We have added this reference. Please see in line 508.
7) Line 501. duplicate listing of Forzieri
Response:Thank you for pointing out the issue. We have removed duplicate references. Please see in line490.
8) References format needs to be consistent with Forests requirement
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have reorganized the references according to the literature format of the Forests journal.
9) Line 108, et al. "four-side" trees = Windbreak?
Response: Thanks for your meticulous comment. In China, "four-side" trees = trees planted by the side of farm house and the roads, rivers and fields. In the article, we further explained the meaning of the four side trees. Please see in line 132.
10) Line 147. Add reference for 0.47
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have added the reference for 0.47. Please see in line 169.
11) Line 202. Which Fu reference?
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have reorganized the references according to the literature format of the Forests journal, and therefore your question has been answered.
12) Line 205. Refernce for Origin 21?
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have added the origin URL to the article. Please see in line 227.
13) Line 214, et al. "," missing
Response: Thanks for your delicate reminder. We have corrected it.
14) Line 167, et al. "," missing
Response: Thanks for your delicate reminder. We have corrected it.
15) Line 228 et al. words need to be separated
Response: Thanks for your delicate reminder. We have corrected it.
16) Tables 2 and 3 Move units from end of caption to after "Storage" and "Density", respectively
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. Due to the large amount of content in the table, we have placed the units in the header. If there is a need for editing changes, we will make further modifications.
17) Lines 384-419 Edit and Combine?
Response: Thanks for your delicate reminder We have summarized and condensed the discussion section. Please see in line 407-433.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
The authors took into account the comments noted earlier. The necessary corrections have been made to the manuscript, and it can be recommended for publication. In this case, the manuscript needs to make the following clarifications:
1) Line 106. In Figure 1, in the “Legend” section, you must indicate the unit of measurement (meters).
2) Lines 268 and 270. In the text to Figures 2 and 3, the name of the province must be capitalized: correct “shaanxi province” to “Shaanxi province”.
It is recommended to check the manuscript for minor inaccuracies
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
I have made corrections to all the issues you raised , thank you very much for your efforts. If there are any more errors, I will make further corrections.
kind regards,
The first author of the article
Reviewer 2 Report
use ha throughout.
Reference format needs to be consistently in Forests format.
Spelling errors still present, e.g., "Tab. 3"
Add 2005 and 2015 to captions of Figures 2 and 3.
Use consistent format in Table and Figure captions.
Some editing would be helpful.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
I have made corrections to all the issues you raised , thank you very much for your efforts. If there are any more errors, I will make further corrections. Specific modifications are as follows:
- use ha throughout.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have corrected it.
- Reference format needs to be consistently in Forests format.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have reorganized the references according to the literature format of the Forests journal..
- Spelling errors still present, e.g., "Tab. 3"
Response: Thanks for your delicate reminder.We have Checked the entire text and made modifications.
- Add 2005 and 2015 to captions of Figures 2 and 3.
Response: Thanks for your delicate reminder. We have corrected it.
- Use consistent format in Table and Figure captions.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We have checked the entire text and made all necessary modifications.
kind regards,
The first author of the article
