Aboveground Carbon Stock Estimation in Different Forest Density Classes of the Nosar Protected Forest, Central Aceh Regency

Forests play an essential role in maintaining ecosystem balance through their ability to absorb and store carbon. Through the process of photosynthesis, forests absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and store it in the form of vegetation biomass. The forest’s capacity to store carbon is strongly influenced by vegetation density. The denser an area is, the greater its biomass and carbon storage potential. This study aims to estimate the average carbon stock based on vegetation density levels in the Nosar Protected Forest, Bintang Subdistrict, Central Aceh Regency, using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) method. Data were obtained from Sentinel-2 MSI Level-2A satellite imagery analysis and validated through field measurements using 15 observation plots with three vegetation density classes: moderate, dense, and very dense. Aboveground biomass was estimated using the allometric equation from SNI 7724:2011, assuming that carbon content is 0.47 of the total biomass. The results show that the highest average carbon stock was found in areas with very dense vegetation (33.82 ton ha-1 ), followed by dense areas (18.24 ton ha-1 ), and moderate areas (12.68 ton ha-1 ). The overall average carbon stock was 24.03 ton ha-1 , with a total carbon stock of 22,037.02 tons C in the study area