Assessment of Carbon Capture Potential in Rubber Plantations via Landsat 9 Imagery Analysis

Indonesia is a significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, contributing 12.3% of carbon dioxide (CO2) of total emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2), a major GHG, is increasing in the Earth’s atmosphere. The CO2 absorption can be increased through rubber plantations because rubber plants, such as forest plants, can process CO2 as a carbon source for photosynthesis. This research aims to analyze carbon uptake in relation to tree density, biomass of rubber vegetation, and soil organic carbon (SOC) content, as well as to map the distribution of carbon potential using remote sensing. This research was conducted in the Sungai Putih Research Unit, Galang Sub-district, using a survey method by collecting secondary and primary data. Sampling locations were determined based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) classification, while remote sensing image processing utilized Landsat 9 images processed through Google Earth Engine (GEE). This study found that the potential carbon stock varied across observation plots. Based on calculations using the SAVI Quadratic model (A13), carbon distribution, derived from field biomass (40–80) and C-Organic (2-3), indicated a medium carbon distribution. The average potential carbon stock, measured from the standing trunk section, was 29.43 tons across an area of 3.12 ha. The highest carbon stock and the largest average stem diameter were recorded in plot 11, with an average diameter of 16.63 cm and a biomass content of 90.64 kg.