**4. Results**

**3. Methods**

*3.1.1. Sampling*

**3.1. Carbon stocks assessment**

rectangular plot was 20 × 100 = 2000 m2

in order to determine their dry weight.

*3.1.2. Biomass and carbon stock calculations*

r

**3.2. Structured interviews**

management decision-making process.

We conducted field work to estimate carbon stocks within 10 council forests in Cameroon. The decision to choose these case study council forests was borne out of the consideration that they were the only council forests that were operational in the country and/or had a management

In each forest, a rectangular sample plot was selected randomly in the forest zone where there was no human activity (area of the forest were there was no degradation). The area of the main

(DBH) greater than 30 cm were measured and recorded. Additionally, within this main plot, trees with DBH between 5 and 30 cm were also measured and recorded. Understory (like epiphytes, ferns, and herbs) and litter with a DBH of less than 5 cm were also harvested within the main plot and were weight to determine their fresh weight. Next, they were dried at 65°C

Aboveground biomass (AGB) was estimated for each council forest using the allometric

2 3 *AGB* =´ - +

where *ρ* is wood specific density, DBH (cm) is the diameter at breast height, and AGB (kg) is dry mass. The estimation of the aboveground C stock was based on the assumption that all the AGB biomass pools contain 47.5% of C [12, 13]. The total C stored in each council forest was

Structured interviews were held with officials of the ten council forest to determine (i) the socioeconomic potentials of these forests particularly in terms of their contribution to employment at the local level and income generated from these forests through the sale of timber and nontimber forest products (NTFPs), and (ii) the threats, difficulties or constraints that these forests are currently facing particularly in terms of bush fire, illegal logging, illegal hunting, management conflicts, nonrespect of contracts by loggers, high costs of exploitation, abusive exploitation of nontimber forest products, and absence of public participation in forest

calculated using the C stock per unit area and the total area of the council forest.

exp[ 1.499 2.148ln 2.148ln(DBH) 0.207lnln(DBH) 0.0281lnln(DBH) ], + -

. Within this main rectangular plot, the diameter of trees

plan. Above ground carbon in these forests was estimated as follows.

82 Tropical Forests - The Challenges of Maintaining Ecosystem Services while Managing the Landscape

equation developed by Chave et al. [11] for moist tropical forest:

For illustrative purposes, results of this study are presented in five sections including: (1) provision of income to the municipality and local communities; (2) provision of employment opportunities; (3) valorization of forest resources; (4) provision of environmental services; and (5) threats faced by council forests
