Cogent Environmental Science

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Aboveground carbon stocks in oil palm plantations

and the threshold for carbon-neutral vegetation
conversion on mineral soils

Ni’matul Khasanah, Meine van Noordwijk & Harti Ningsihhttps://

orcid.org/0000-0002-3868-2620 |

To cite this article: Ni’matul Khasanah, Meine van Noordwijk & Harti Ningsihhttps://
orcid.org/0000-0002-3868-2620 | (2015) Aboveground carbon stocks in oil palm plantations
and the threshold for carbon-neutral vegetation conversion on mineral soils, Cogent
Environmental Science, 1:1, 1119964, DOI: 10.1080/23311843.2015.1119964

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Khasanah et al., Cogent Environmental Science (2015), 1: 1119964
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311843.2015.1119964

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT & CONSERVATION | RESEARCH

ARTICLE
Aboveground carbon stocks in oil palm plantations
and the threshold for carbon-neutral vegetation
Received: 15 June 2015
conversion on mineral soils
Accepted: 09 November 2015 Ni’matul Khasanah1,2*, Meine van Noordwijk1,2 and Harti Ningsih1,3
Published: 15 December 2015

*Corresponding author: Ni’matul Abstract: The carbon (C) footprint of palm oil production is needed to judge emis-
Khasanah, World Agroforestry Centre
(ICRAF), Southeast Asia Regional
sions from potential biofuel use. Relevance includes wider sustainable palm oil
Programme, Jl. CIFOR, Situgede, debates. Within life cycle analysis, aboveground C debt is incurred if the vegeta-
Sindang Barang, Bogor, 16115, PO Box
161, Bogor 16001, Indonesia; Plant tion replaced had a higher C stock than oil palm plantations. Our study included 25
Production Systems, Department of plantations across Indonesia, in a stratified study design representing the range of
Plant Sciences, Wageningen University,
Wageningen, The Netherland conditions in which oil palm is grown. From allometric equations for palm biomass
E-mail: [email protected]
and observed growth rates, we estimated the time-averaged aboveground C stock
Reviewing editor: for 25-year rotation and 95%-confidence interval to be 42.07 (42.04–42.10) Mg C
Serge Wich, Liverpool John Moores
University, UK ha−1 for plantations managed by company on mineral soils, 40.03 (39.75–40.30) Mg
C ha−1 for plantations managed by company on peat, and 37.76 (37.42–38.09) Mg C
Additional information is available at
the end of the article ha−1 for smallholder oil palm on mineral soils. Oil palm can be established C debt-
free on mineral soils with aboveground C stocks below these values; neutrality of
mineral soil C pools was documented in a parallel study. Acknowledging variation
in shoot:root ratios, the types of vegetation that can be converted debt-free to oil
palm include grasslands and shrub, but not monocultural rubber plantations, rubber
agroforest, and similar secondary or logged-over forests of higher C stock.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Ni’matul Khasanah, trained as soil scientist, has been Use of palm oil as biofuel and its rapid growth
working for the World Agroforestry Centre since 2002. as major source of vegetable oil for the food
Her research is focused on tropical tree-cover change industry has brought attention to the “carbon
and its consequences for ecosystem services; and debt” that arises when forest is converted to
tree–soil–crop interactions. In 2013, she registered as oil palm plantations. A critical component of
a PhD candidate at Wageningen University working this calculation is the time-averaged carbon (C)
on oil palm production in Indonesia. stock of an oil palm plantation over its life cycle,
Meine van Noordwijk, trained as a biologist, and the way this may vary between situations
joined the World Agroforestry Center in 1993 and and depend on management practices. In the
currently is its chief scientist. His research interest most comprehensive study to date, we explored
is tree–soil–crop interactions, multifunctional how this C stock varies in Indonesia, global
landscapes, interdisciplinary integration and leader in palm oil production. What confidence
ways of linking scientific knowledge to action and interval needs to be included around single value
policy. He also serves as part-time Professor of estimates? Under what conditions would values
Agroforestry at Wageningen University. differ from the defaults? Our survey provided more
Harti Ningsih, trained as a biologist, has detailed answers to this than currently exist, which
worked at the World Agroforestry Center for three can be the basis for revising current thresholds for
years as a research assistant involved in projects “carbon neutrality” and standards for low-emission
related to C footprint of oil palm production development strategies.
and biodiversity assessments. She joined the
Zoological Society of London in November 2014
as assistant project manager.

© 2015 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution
(CC-BY) 4.0 license.

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Subjects: Agriculture & Environmental Sciences; Conservation - Environment Studies;

Environment & Agriculture; Environment & Resources; Environmental Studies &
Management

Keywords: biomass; allometric equation; footprint; Indonesia sustainable palm oil;

time-averaged carbon stock

1. Introduction
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations and their expansion may well be the driver of deforestation
in Indonesia that has the highest degree of public scrutiny (Carlson et al., 2012; McCarthy, 2010;
Sheil et al., 2009). In 1935, Indonesia became the global leader in palm oil export, with a plantation
area of 74,000 ha (Rowaan, 1936). Seventy-five years later, it re-gained the number one position
that it had lost to Malaysia, with a planted area of over 8 Mha, 100 times more than in 1935, but still
less than 5% of its 193 Mha of land. Further expansion is planned but needs to reconcile with envi-
ronmental regulations and consumer concerns.

The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) of the European Union includes a commitment to substitute
part of the Union’s transport fuel with biofuels as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil
fuels. For diesel engines, biofuels can be derived from vegetable oils such as palm oil, rapeseed and
soybean (Demirbas, 2007; Tan, Lee, Mohamed, & Bhatia, 2009). Similarly, environmental authorities
in the USA have formulated standards for a minimum degree of net emission reduction for biofuel
use (EPA, 2010). Currently, more than 80% of the world biodiesel production derives from rapeseed
oil. However, palm oil production costs are lower than that of other vegetable oils (Tan et al., 2009;
Thoenes, 2006) and increased demand for palm oil as a source of biodiesel can be expected, if envi-
ronmental regulations and import restrictions allow. Demand of palm oil has increased, as it is a
source of fats and oil for food products (Tan et al., 2009) as well as biofuel feedstock to replace fossil
fuel (Reijnders & Huijbregts, 2008; Tan et al., 2009). These multiple types of use have promoted ex-
pansion of oil palm plantation not only in Indonesia, but also in Malaysia (Barlow, Zahari, & Ria, 2003;
Danielsen et al., 2009; Koh & Wilcove, 2008), and at more modest scale elsewhere in the humid trop-
ics. Indonesia and Malaysia still represent 90% of global production and trade of palm oil (Thoenes,
2006). Environmental issues in expansion of oil palm plantations include loss of biodiversity and the
net emission of carbon dioxide per unit product, especially when peatlands are used and high car-
bon-stock forests are converted (Koh & Wilcove, 2008; Reijnders & Huijbregts, 2008). Carbon debts
incurred at establishment of oil palm plantations can take decades or centuries to repay, depending
on subsequent productivity, or have infinite payback times on peat soils where recurrent CO2 emis-
sions exceed the possible emission saving from the fossil fuel for which it was substituted (Danielsen
et al., 2009; Germer & Sauerborn, 2008; Gibbs et al., 2008; Searchinger et al., 2008).

While the debate on biofuels has focused on a comparison of default characteristics between com-
modities, the “management swing potential”, or difference in environmental profile of a single com-
modity depending on the location and the way it is grown is now recognized (Davis, Anderson-Teixeira,
& DeLucia, 2009; Davis et al., 2013). Based on current estimates, palm oil has the widest “swing po-
tential” as it is both among the best and the worst of current biofuels in terms of potential for emis-
sion saving. If oil palm is grown on lands already deforested, it is among the best (Choo et al., 2011;
George & Cowie, 2011; Hassan, Jaramillo, & Griffin, 2011; Siangjaeo, Gheewala, Unnanon, &
Chidthaisong, 2011). However, when it is grown on deeply drained peat soils converted from forest, it
is among the worst (Adachi et al., 2011; Davis et al., 2013; Nogueira, 2010; Sheil et al., 2009). The wide
swing potential is a challenge for current regulators who seek a single average value as characteristic
per commodity. A single average value per commodity is needed for thresholds that can be used to
certify the segments of the production system that meet environmental standards, as an alternative
to treating all uniformly. In a life cycle analysis, the potential carbon debt incurred at land use conver-
sion (Fargione, Hill, Tilman, Polasky, & Hawthorne, 2008), the recurrent emissions in the production
phase (linked to fertilizer use, drainage of wetlands and peat, among others), and the transport and
processing phases jointly contribute to an overall footprint per unit product (Reijnders, 2011). We will

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here focus on thresholds for “carbon-neutral” or “debt-free” land conversion, derive the aboveground
time-averaged C stock of oil palm plantations that can be used in the carbon-debt calculations within
life cycle analysis. The life cycle concept, however, cannot be easily applied to vegetation with low
management intensity or where the balance between continued degradation and recovery cannot
be predicted. In practice, we used the average of measured values for a certain land cover class as its
time-averaged value in such cases. Apart from accountability for recurrent emissions from fertilizer
use and soil carbon loss (Khasanah, van Noordwijk, Ningsih, & Rahayu, 2015), the footprint of oil palm
includes terms for the aboveground carbon debt due to conversion (CAGB,P − CAGB,T), with CAGB,P, the
aboveground carbon stocks preceding conversion, and CAGB,T, the time-averaged value after
conversion.

As an initial estimate of the time-averaged carbon stock of oil palm, Dewi, Khasanah, Rahayu,
Ekadinata, and van Noordwijk (2009) proposed a value of 40 Mg C ha−1 based on a limited data-set.
If shoot:root estimates for oil palm can be assumed to be (at most) equal to that for other vegetation
(Jourdan & Rey, 1997), the carbon debt-free status applies for all biomass, with no changes in soil
organic carbon (Khasanah et al., 2015). However, the initial estimate of 40 Mg C ha−1 did not repre-
sent the full range of conditions found in oil palm plantations in Indonesia, as regards soil type and
plantation management (nucleus, plasma and independent smallholder). The term nucleus is used
for the core area of a plantation managed by a company; the term plasma refers to surrounding
areas of plantation that are initially managed by the core company during establishment, usually
until the early production stage (4–5 years old) and then transferred to the farmers who own the
land. In many cases, the plantation obtained land that was under community control and returns
part as plasma to individual farmers. The term independent is used for a smallholding plantations
managed by a farmer on land they control (whether legally owned or not) (Santoso, 2010), using
planting material obtained in markets and selling produce to intermediaries or mills, without long-
term contract. Koh, Gibbs, Potapov, and Hansen (2012) used an estimate of 24 Mg C ha−1 for above-
ground biomass of oil palm averaged over a 25-year rotation, based on a limited data-set of
Murdiyarso, Hergoualc’h, and Verchot (2010).

A recent HCS + proposal for self-regulation by the oil palm industry suggested that 75 Mg C ha−1
can be the threshold value for aboveground carbon (AGC) of land converted to oil palm—claiming
that oil palm converted from land with aboveground carbon stocks below that value can be carbon
neutral (Raison et al., 2015). Carbon neutrality can be evaluated at multiple scales. At product level,
carbon neutrality may imply a “footprint” of zero, which is only achievable if there are gains in parts
of the accounting sheet that offset the unavoidable emissions that are part of production and trans-
port. Where palm oil is used as biofuel, offsets can be derived from the emissions avoided by not
using fossil fuels, but only if the fate of these non-used fuels is deemed to be outside of accountabil-
ity of the biofuel user. Even so, carbon neutrality of biofuels is not feasible, and existing standards,
such as those of the European Union and USA Environmental Protection Agency only require partial
emission reduction relative to fossil fuel use, not carbon neutrality. A simpler form of carbon neutral-
ity applies to the way land use and land use change is accounted for in Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) compliant national accounting systems. Tier-I and Tier-II accounting sys-
tems, using global defaults and nationally appropriate values, respectively, calculate emissions from
a comparison of time-averaged carbon stocks. Averaging the C stock over the life cycle of a land use
system is appropriate if a landscape can be expected to contain proportional areas of each age class.
That assumption is relaxed in Tier-III accounting of losses and gains, but at substantially increased
data demand and marginal change of the bottom line of the accounting system in most cases.
Carbon neutrality in this sense is obtained when the time-averaged C stock of a new land use system
is equal to that of its predecessor. To apply this concept, we thus need to quantify the C stock of oil
palm over all stages of its life cycle. If the value obtained is less than 75 Mg C ha−1, the HCS proposal
can be rejected in its claim of securing carbon neutrality. However, if accountability extends to a
larger area than that planted, there may be compensation for carbon debts in the planted area as
long as other areas are effectively recovering and achieving higher C stocks (Raison et al., 2015).

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Even so, the aboveground time-averaged C stock of oil palm is a critical value for any landscape-level
calculations.

We thus initiated research to measure and assess the aboveground time-averaged C stock of oil
palm across the three main management conditions found in Indonesia: nucleus, plasma and inde-
pendent smallholder. This study aimed to:

(a) establish an allometric equation between oil palm height (m) and aboveground biomass (Mg
per palm) applicable to different oil palm production conditions in Indonesia, potentially dif-
ferentiated by soil type and management regime (nucleus, plasma and independent
smallholder),
(b) estimate growth rates of aboveground oil palm biomass (Mg ha−1 year−1) based on actual stand
density and palm heights under the same range of conditions,
(c) estimate the time-averaged aboveground C stock of oil palm plantations (Mg C ha−1) including
oil palm biomass, understorey vegetation, standing litter stock and necromass stock, differen-
tiated by the growing conditions.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Oil palm characteristics relevant to the study design

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is an African palm that yields oil from the pulp of the fruit as well as from
the kernels (seed) (Corley & Tinker, 2003) and is mostly planted from hybrid (Tenera = Dura × Pisifera)
seed. It typically has a life cycle of about 25 years, when harvesting becomes difficult as the colum-
nar trunks exceed 20 m. Oil palm is unbranched and the planting pattern (typically between 128 to
148 palms/ha) is designed to secure a closed canopy once pinnate-leaved fronds reach their normal
length of 3–5 m (Henson, 1999). It has a rigid development pattern with increments in stem height
for every new frond that emerges in a 3–4 weekly interval, over time developing a flower in its axil
that can, if not aborted due to a dry period, become a fruit bunch. The frond associated with a har-
vestable fruit bunch is removed, leaving a frond base on the stem that over time will decay (Henson,
2004). Under suboptimal conditions of water and/or nutrient supply, all flowers in newly developing
inflorescences become male and the number of harvestable fruit bunches declines. To secure fe-
male flower and fruit development, high levels of fertilizer are typically used (Pahan, 2006), while
locations with more than 1–2 dry months are suboptimal. On peat soils, buffered water supply in dry
periods is associated with lack of mechanical support, unless the peat is intensively drained and as
a consequence sensitive to drought as well as rapidly decomposing and emitting CO2 in the process.
In the first year(s) after planting, there is enough light penetration to ground level for a leguminous
cover crop to develop, which is shaded out over time and contributes nitrogen to the system in the
process. Smallholders may intercrop with annual food crops in the first three years, instead of using
a cover crop.

In contrast to rubber, coffee and cacao, the initial expansion of oil palm in Southeast Asia has
been based on large-scale, centrally managed plantations, as the fruits need rapid processing once
harvested. As economies of scale favour mills that cater for a planted area of the order of 10,000 ha,
financial investment is substantial and the political connection needed to acquire land and credit
has favoured large-scale schemes (Budidarsono, Susanti, & Zoomers, 2013). As acquisition of quality
and trustable planting material is difficult for smallholders and the crop has a strongly negative re-
sponse to suboptimal management, the company-controlled “nucleus” plantation management
model continue to dominate in areas of new oil palm expansion. However, over time, smallholder oil
palm has emerged in two ways: as contract farms in outgrower schemes (“plasma”) around nuclear
plantations, often a pre-requirement for land acquisitions by plantations (Budidarsono et al., 2013),
but also, in areas where there are enough mills, as independents with flexible marketing arrange-
ments. The management types (nucleus, plasma and independent smallholder) differed (potential-
ly) in fertilizer application, use of organic inputs (pruned fronds and empty fruit bunches) and

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understorey vegetation maintenance. These differences are likely to have impact on the growth
rates and aboveground carbon stocks during the production cycle.

To provide the range of aboveground C stocks, we derived stratifiers at national level and at plan-
tation or landscape level for a sampling scheme. These stratifiers represent current condition of oil
palm plantation in Indonesia. At the national level, we had three stratifiers to sample plantation or
landscape: (1) plantation or landscape history (derived from forest versus non-forest (other vegeta-
tion or from preceding oil palm), (2) soil type (mineral soils versus peat) and (3) the prevalence of oil
palm in the surrounding area (<1, 1–5, 5–15%), assessed at provincial level, as areas of high oil palm
prevalence are likely to represent a longer history of the crop, potentially selected for the most suit-
able climatic conditions, and may have the best knowledge and processing infrastructure. At the
plantation or landscape level, we applied three strata to sample oil palm stands: (1) plantation man-
agement (nucleus, plasma, independent smallholder), (2) soil type (mineral soils versus peat) and (3)
age during the crops’ life cycle.

2.2. Study and sampling design

2.2.1. Plantation or landscape selection

At the national level, the study was designed to sample plantation or landscapes that represent the
primary variation in oil palm production environment in Indonesia. It was differentiated by the three
stratifiers mentioned. Factorial combinations across the three strata led to 12 (= 3 × 2 × 2) clusters.
As the study was part of a programme designed to increase the capacity of the Indonesian oil palm
sector to understand and assess its own carbon footprints, the selection of plantation or landscapes
to be sampled in the various strata was based on voluntary nominations by plantation companies.
As described in Khasanah et al. (2015), all participating companies were guaranteed confidentiality
of plantation-level data while they all received a report in which their performance was compared
with the data-set as a whole. This procedure, managed by an agency associated with the Ministry of
Agriculture, was chosen to protect commercially sensitive information and stimulate voluntary
nominations.

While nominations for some categories (non-forest history on mineral soil) were readily obtained,
peat-based plantations were underrepresented. Selection of plantation or landscapes was based on
a priori information provided by the companies, which was not in all cases confirmed in the subse-
quent fieldwork. In the end, we were able to sample 8 of the 12 clusters identified, in a total of 25 oil
palm plantation or landscapes surrounding a plantation agreeing to be part of the research (Table
1). Despite all efforts to secure access to the full range of conditions, willingness to participate may
indicate that the company expected to represent “good practice” in oil palm management. The cur-
rent data may therefore reflect what is possible in oil palm with current practice, rather than being
the unbiased average of present conditions. Figure 1 presents the spatial distribution of the selected
25 oil palm plantation or landscapes across Indonesia, in 12 provinces: 7 provinces in Sumatra (16
plantations), 4 provinces in Kalimantan (8 plantations) and 1 province in Sulawesi (1 plantation).

2.2.2. Plot selection within selected plantations or landscapes

Within each selected plantation or landscape in each cluster and in discussion with the plantation
company hosting the study, a number of plots were selected, making use of the available range of
conditions: (1) plantation management (nucleus, plasma, independent smallholders), (2) soil type
(mineral soils versus peat) and (3) age during the crops’ life cycle. In terms of preceding vegetation
and soil type, multiple clusters could be sampled in some of the plantations or landscapes. In most
cases, there was limited choice in the plot ages, depending on the period since the nucleus planta-
tion was developed. Table 1 presents the distribution of the selected 25 oil palm plantations or
landscapes by cluster, as well as associated replicate plots (totaling 180 sampling plots), character-
ized by age and management style. Table 1 presents the classifications after the survey, rather than
that based on a priori information. The 180 plots selected included 86% on mineral soil and 14% on
peat, with 70, 19 and 12%, under nucleus, plasma and independent smallholder management,

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Table 1. Study design with the actual number of plots sampled across plot age, management style, preceding vegetation, soil
type and oilpalm prevalence in the surrounding province
Plantation parameters Cluster Number of Plantation Number of sampled plots per age category
plantation management1 (year)
Preceding Soil Prevalence or 0–8 9–16 17–25 Total
land cover of oil palm landscape
(% of area
in province)
Forest Peat 5–15 1 2 N 2 2 4 8
P 1 – – 1
I 1 – – 1
1–5 2 2 N 4 – – 4
P – – – –
I – – – –
<1 3 1 N 5 4 1 10
P – 1 – 1
I – – – –
Mineral 5–15 4 3 N 2 5 10 17
P – 2 2 4
I – – – –
1–5 5 3 N 6 8 7 21
P 1 2 – 3
I 2 1 – 3
<1 6 9 N 16 20 7 43
P 4 4 1 9
I 10 2 – 12
Non-forest Peat 5–15 7 – – – – – –
1–5 8 – – – – – –
<1 9 – – – – – –
Mineral 5–15 10 2 N 4 5 2 11
P – – – –
I – – – –
1–5 11 3 N 2 8 6 16
P 4 6 3 13
I 2 1 – 3
<1 12 – – – – – –
Total 25 66 71 43 180
1
N = nucleus, P = plasma, I = independent.

respectively. The age groups 0–8 years, 9–16 and 17–25 years were represented by 34, 41 and 25%
of the samples. For the plot distribution, 110 plots (61%), 65 plots (36%) and 5 plots (3%) were in
Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, respectively. This means our sample underrepresented Sumatra
and overrepresented Kalimantan relative to data on planted area (64% in Sumatra (of which 53% in
the two high-prevalence provinces of North Sumatra and Riau), 32% in Kalimantan and 4% else-
where (with Sulawesi as the most important area), according to data for 2013 of the Tree Crop Estate
Statistics of Indonesia (Direktorat Jenderal Perkebunan, 2014).

The clusters 7–9 that could not be sampled would represent oil palm on peat not derived from a
preceding forest, which most likely is very rare in Indonesia; cluster 12, plantations on mineral soil

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Figure 1. Spatial distribution

of 25 oil palm plantations
or landscapes selected for
inclusion in this study.

Notes: The colour definition

refers to cluster definition in
Table 1. Clusters 7, 8, 9, 12
were not sampled as there is
no oil palm plantation under
those clusters. Climate division
based on Aldrian and Susanto
(2003), Region A in red solid
line, Region B in yellow short-
dashed line and dot, and
Region C in purple long-dashed
line.

derived from non-forest in an area with very low oil palm prevalence, is similarly scarce in Indonesia.
While the target of a fully balanced factorial design could not be achieved in the process as de-
scribed, the data provide ample opportunity to study the importance of each of the stratifiers in
isolation, and their possible interactions in the clusters (strata) of direct relevance.

2.3. Plantations or landscapes description

Based on the intra- and inter-annual variation in rainfall and the statistical correlation of rainfall
with sea surface temperatures in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, Aldrian and Susanto (2003) recog-
nized three climatic regions in Indonesia. Oil palm is currently grown in the two wettest of these
regions (Figure 2), with region B that is located in northwest Indonesia and stretches from northern
Sumatra to northwestern Kalimantan is a region where oil palm plantation mostly concentrated.
While mean annual rainfall (2600 mm year−1) and the number of months with rainfall over 200 mm
is 7 months is similar between regions A and B, the pattern of interannual variability differs. Region
B has a tendency to a bimodal pattern without months of less than 100 mm rainfall, on average,
combined with low sensitivity to El Nino patterns of interannual variability in the Pacific and modest
response to the Indian Ocean dipole (Niedermeyer, Sessions, Feakins, & Mohtadi, 2014) have created
a climate in northern Sumatra that is eminently suitable for oil palm. Region A is located in southern
Indonesia and stretches from south Sumatra to Timor, southern Kalimantan, Sulawesi and part of
Papua. Its unimodal rainfall has a relatively dry period between May and September that in interac-
tion with interannual variability can reduce oil palm yields, depending on the degree of water buffer-
ing by the soil. The highest “oil palm prevalence” at provincial level (5–15%) coincided with climate
region B for this study, while the data for “oil palm prevalence” below 5% were derived from climate
region A.

With regard to soil type, 86% of the sample plots had mineral soil, with 55 and 19% categorized
as Ultisols and Inceptisols, respectively. Other soil types encountered less frequently were Spodosols,
Oxisols and Entisols. Across these soil types, variation in soil texture and pH account for differences
in soil carbon content that can exceed the effects of land cover (forest, non-forest categories) (van
Noordwijk, Cerri, Woomer, Nugroho, & Bernoux, 1997). Soil carbon data obtained at plot level in the
mineral soils are described in a parallel manuscript (Khasanah et al., 2015).

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Figure 2. Mean monthly rainfall

of all plantations presented
based on climate regions A and
B as derived by Aldrian and
Susanto (2003).

2.4. Sampling methodology

2.4.1. Establishing allometric equation for estimating oil palm biomass

Specific efforts were made to derive allometric equation between palm height and palm biomass (as
stem diameter is a poor predictor of biomass in palms, Dewi et al. (2009) and Khalid, Zin, and
Anderson (1999) appropriate for the full set of conditions.

In developing an allometric equation for estimating oil palm biomass, 10 oil palms were selected,
measured and sampled in each of the 180 plots, using partially destructive sampling. Selection of
the 10 oil palms in each plot followed the standardized selection scheme used in establishing Leaf
Sampling Units (LSU) for fertilizer recommendation (some of the details varied between plantation
companies). The total biomass of oil palm was estimated by partitioning the biomass into three
components: trunk; frond; and old frond base remaining on the stem.

2.4.1.1. Trunk biomass. Trunk biomass was estimated by measuring trunk height from ground
level to the base of leaf number 41 (counting from most recently emerged frond), which under
normal management is the lowest leaf maintained in the canopy (if leaves are removed after
harvest of the fruit bunch) and trunk diameter at 150 cm trunk height. A cylindrical shape of
the trunk allowed an estimate of trunk biomass as:

Y = 0.25 × 𝜋 × D2 × H × 𝜌 (1)

where, Y = trunk biomass (kg per palm), H = palm height (m), D = palm diameter (m), and ρ = wood
density (kg m−3) (with average value 395) (Porankiewicz, Iskra, Sandak, Tanaka, & Jóźwiak, 2006).

2.4.1.2. Frond biomass. Frond biomass was estimated by calculating the total number of fronds
and taking a sample of frond number 17 to determine average dry weight of a representative
single frond (Corley & Tinker, 2003).

FB = N × DW (2)

where, FB = frond biomass (kg per palm), N = number of frond, DW = weight of single frond (kg) =
1.146 × (DWpetiole + DWrachis + DWleaflet), 0.146 = correction factor, part of petiole still attached to the
trunk, with estimation based on three samples.

2.4.1.3. Frond bases biomass. Frond bases biomass was estimated by calculating cumulative
frond bases and taking samples of three frond bases to determine averaged dry weight of sin-
gle frond bases.

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FBs = N × DW
(3)

where, FBs = total frond bases biomass (kg per palm), N = number of frond bases still present,
DW = weight of a single frond base (kg).

2.4.1.4. Allometric equation. All biomass components were combined and a regression equa-
tion was established on the basis of trunk height, testing linear (Y = Ymean + b × (X − Xmean) and
power function (Y = Ymean × (X/Xmean)b) models.

2.4.2. Estimating aboveground carbon stock of oil palm plantation

In the 25 selected plantations or landscapes, the full range of existing land cover and land use types
was sampled for its aboveground carbon stocks using standard methods (Hairiah et al., 2011).
However, we had to adjust the standard methods for oil palm considering the regularly spaced
planting pattern, the specific “management zones” around each palm and the non-standard tree
architecture.

Estimation of the aboveground carbon stock of oil palm plantations (Mg C ha−1) includes four
pools: oil palm biomass; standing litter stock comprising pruned fronds; understorey vegetation; and
preceding necromass stock (dead wood) (Dewi et al., 2009).

2.4.2.1. Oil palm biomass. Trunk height of selected 24 oil palms was measured in each plot and
biomass was estimated using the allometric equation developed here. The selection of 24 oil
palms in each plot also followed the standardized scheme for establishing Leaf Sampling Units
for fertilizer recommendation. Results were scaled up to a hectare basis by multiplication with
actual tree density 138 palms ha−1.

2.4.2.2. Understorey vegetation and standing litter stocks. The basic methods were as described
in Hairiah et al. (2011). Understorey vegetation and litter stocks were estimated by taking sam-
ples using a 0.5 m × 0.5 m sample frame. The sampling was done around 10 palms in four
management zones: (1) weeded circle, often used for fertilizer application in young stages; (2)
interrow/grass zone, in some cases in nucleus plantations used for application of empty fruit
bunches (EFB) returned from the mill; (3) frond stack where pruned leaves are piled up (if not
spread throughout zone 2) and decompose; and (4) harvest paths, subject to compaction.
Details had to be adjusted to local management practice. All of the understorey and litter in-
side the sample frame were removed and then separated between stem and leaves before
being dried at 80°C for 48 h and weighed. A weighted mean for the four management zones
was derived based on the proportions of each management zone under the specific situation
found in the plantation.

2.4.2.3. Necromass stocks. Necromass was sampled in a transect across the plot, adjusted to
local conditions where bulldozer clearing had established regularly spaced windrows. Height
and diameter of the dead wood was measured and the necromass production was estimated
using the following equation:

DW = (𝜋∕4)𝜌 × H × D2 (4)

where, DW is dry weight of dead wood (g), ρ is the wood density (g cm−3), estimated from live wood
density for the trees involved plus the degree of decomposition assessed by handling it; H is height
(length) of dead tree (cm); D is diameter of dead tree (cm). Results were scaled up to a hectare basis
using the effective sampling transect area.

The carbon stock of each pool then was estimated by multiplying the biomass of each pool with
assumed organic carbon content. Organic carbon contents were assumed to be 0.47 for palm

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biomass and understorey vegetation, 0.5 for necromass (dead wood) and 0.4 for the standing litter
stock (conform the standards used by The European Comission, 2010).

2.5. Time-averaged aboveground carbon stock of oil palm plantation

Time-averaged aboveground biomass of oil palm was estimated by developing an allometric equa-
tion of palm biomass (Mg ha−1) as a function of palm age (plot-level assessment of mode, ignoring
possible gap filling in early stages) (year). A similar procedure was applied to estimate time-aver-
aged necromass stock. While the time-averaged understorey biomass and standing litter stock was
derived from average value of 180 measured plots.

The time-averaged total aboveground carbon stock of oil palm plantation was then estimated
comprehensively by developing an allometric equation of total carbon stock (Mg C ha−1) of planta-
tion, taking into account all pools of the plantation as a function of palm age (year).

Confidence intervals of the time-averaged total aboveground carbon stock of oil palm plantation
were estimated using the following steps:

(1) Derive a random b of the linear or power form of the palm allometric equation using normal
probability distribution:
( )
random b = N b, se

where b is an intercept of the linear or power equation and se is the standard error estimate derived
for this equation. The data had been centralized before regression analysis, so the intercept could be
derived as Ymean − b × Xmean for linear equations and as Ymean/(Xmean)b for power curves,

(2) Estimate plot-level palm biomass by applying the random b to all palms measured, add data
on the understorey, necromass and litter,
(3) Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all plots in the current category of soil and management type,
(4) Derive the parameters of a total aboveground C stock regression on plot age for this part of the
data-set and evaluate the time-averaged C stock for a 25-year rotation, as:
tcycle
CAGB,T = Ymean − b × Xmean + b ×
2 (5)
where Ymean is mean of measured total aboveground carbon stock, Xmean is mean of measured
age of palm and tcycle is the duration of one cycle of oil palm (here taken as to be 25 years),
(5) Repeat step 4 100 times and report mean and ± 1.96 × standard deviation as 95% confidence
interval,
(6) Repeat steps 4 and 5 for other combinations of soil and management types.

3. Results

3.1. Allometric equation to estimate oil palm biomass

Figure 3 correlates palm height (m) and palm biomass (Mg per palm) for different soil types. A power
model for palm biomass (Figure 3 (B)) proved to account for a slightly larger fraction of the variance
than a linear increment model for palms on mineral soils. On peat soils, however, the linear equation
(Figure 3 (A)) accounted for a great fraction of variance accounted for (as seen from the R2 value).

The allometric data indicated no significant difference owing to preceding land cover and planta-
tion management, but some differentiation owing to soil type. Oil palm growth on peat had a similar
biomass increment per unit height increment to that on mineral soil (about 0.09 Mg per m palm
height), but had a 30% lower intercept in the resulting linear equation. Applying the power equation
derived for mineral soil conditions and a linear regression for peat soil palms, suggests that palm

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Figure 3. Linear model (A) and

power model (B) between palm
height (m) and palm biomass
(Mg per palm) at different soil
types.

biomass relative to palm height is higher on peat than on mineral soil for the first three years after
planting (while tree height increments per time are less on peat due to lack of mechanical stability).
For further calculations, we used the linear regression for both mineral and peat soils.

3.2. Time-averaged aboveground carbon stock

3.2.1. Time-averaged aboveground carbon stock of each pool

3.2.1.1. Oil palm. Table 2 presents different equations for estimating palm biomass (Mg ha−1)
as a function of palm age (year). The first model is based on linear regression, while the second
model is based on a power regression. Under nucleus management, both on mineral and peat
soils, the power equation accounted for a larger part of the variance, while under plasma/inde-
pendent management on mineral soil (no data for peat soils in this class), the linear equation
had a higher R2 value.

Figure 4 shows the correlation between age of palm (year) and palm biomass (Mg ha−1) with dif-
ferent soil types and plantation management and presents a linear regression for palm growth on
mineral soils under plasma/independent management conditions and a power regression for palm
growth on mineral and peat soil under nucleus management as the chosen, best-performing model.
The chosen model was used to estimate time-averaged aboveground carbon stock of oil palm over
one cycle of a plantation (typically 25 years).

Figure 4. Correlation between

age of palm (year) and palm
biomass (Mg ha−1) under
different soil type and
plantation managements.

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The aboveground accumulation in oil palm biomass under nucleus management was estimated
to be 5.85 Mg ha−1 year−1 and 4.88 Mg ha−1 year−1 for oil palm on mineral and peat soils, respectively
(Figure 4). The aboveground accumulation of oil palm biomass on mineral soil under plasma and
independent management was estimated to be 5.35 Mg ha−1 year−1 or 12.5% lower compared to
nucleus management (Figure 4).

Taking this growth rate and using carbon presented in Section 2.4, the time-averaged carbon
stock of oil palm over one life cycle (25 years) under nucleus management was found to be
38.78 ± 0.17 Mg C ha−1 and 37.30 ± 0.57 Mg C ha−1 growth on mineral and peat soils, respectively
(Table 2). Time-averaged carbon stock of oil palm under plasma/independent management and
growth on mineral soil was found to be 35.28 ± 0.38 Mg C ha−1.

3.2.1.2. Understorey. Figure 5 (A) shows the correlation between age of palm and understorey
biomass (Mg ha−1) under different plantation management styles. The data indicated no clear
pattern of understorey biomass with increasing age of palm and there is no statistically signifi-
cant difference between soil types, estate management and initial land cover to understorey
vegetation. By using default carbon concentrations (Section 2.4), the time-averaged carbon
stock of understorey over one life cycle of an oil palm plantation (25 years) is about
0.52 ± 0.45 Mg C ha−1 (Table 2).

Table 2. Regression coefficients of two growth models for palm biomass Y (Mg ha−1) based on age A (years after planting)
and the resultant time-averaged carbon-stock estimate for a 25-year rotation of oil palms, understorey, standing litter and
necromass
Growth Soil type Plantation a b R2 Time-averaged
equation management1 carbon stock
per pool (Mg C
ha−1)
Oil palms
Model I:Y = aA + b Mineral Nucleus 6.1147 6.1917 0.8757 38.83 ± 0.032
Plasma/indepen- 5.3499 6.5723 0.8685 35.28 ± 0.382
dent
Peat Nucleus 5.6104 6.5672 0.8758 36.41 ± 0.332
Model II:Y = aA b
Mineral Nucleus 10.253 0.8256 0.8988 38.78 ± 0.172
Plasma/indepen- 11.311 0.7203 0.852 34.85 ± 0.492
dent
Peat Nucleus 11.999 0.7204 0.8837 37.30 ± 0.572
Understorey
Nucleusa 0.52 ± 0.473
Plasma a
0.46 ± 0.433
Independenta 0.50 ± 0.353
Average 0.52 ± 0.453
Standing stock of litter
Nucleusa 2.36 ± 2.403
Plasma b
1.83 ± 1.213
Independentc 0.96 ± 0.493
Necromass (dead wood)
Ex-forest 10.368 −0.2542 0.0279 3.42 ± 0.472
1
Attribute followed by the same letter are not significantly different at p < 0.05.
2
Time-averaged carbon stock over one cycle (25 years) ± standard deviation.
3
Averaged over a cycle of 25 years ± standard deviation of plot-level measurements.

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3.2.1.3. Standing stock of litter. Figure 5 (B) shows the correlation between age of palm and
litter production (Mg ha−1) under different plantation management styles. Similar to understo-
rey, litter production also indicates no clear pattern with increasing age of palm. By using car-
bon content presented in Section 2.4, the time-averaged carbon stock of standing stock of
litter over one life cycle of an oil palm plantation (25 years) under different management styles
is significantly different: 2.36 ± 2.40, 1.83 ± 1.21 and 0.96 ± 0.49 Mg C ha−1 for nucleus, plasma
and independent smallholder management, respectively (Table 2). Where this practice is used,
recycling of empty fruit bunches into the plot contributes to a higher standing stock of litter,
but its contribution to the total carbon stock of the plantation is small.

3.2.1.4. Necromass. Necromass/dead wood was only found in plantations with forest as the
previous land cover. Figure 6 indicates a weak negative trend of necromass/dead wood with
time owing to decomposition (Mg ha−1) suggested by low R2 value (0.0279), however, the aver-
age rate of dead wood decomposition around 0.254 Mg ha−1 year−1 can be taken for further
calculation of time-averaged C stock. Taking this decomposition rate and using 0.5 as its C
content, the time-averaged carbon stock of necromass over one life cycle of an oil palm plan-
tation (25 years) is around 3.42 ± 0.47 Mg C ha−1 (Table 2).

3.2.2. Time-averaged aboveground carbon stock of oil palm plantation

Table 3 presents different models (linear and power) to estimate the time-averaged total above-
ground carbon stock of oil palm plantations with different soil types and plantation management.
Both in mineral and peat soil in all plantation management, linear model has higher R2. The

Figure 5. (A) Correlation

between age of palm and
understory; and (B) Standing
litter stock. Both expressed
in (Mg ha−1) under different
plantation management
conditions.

Figure 6. Correlation between

age of palm and necromass
(Mg ha−1).

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Table 3. Time-averaged total aboveground carbon stock of oil-palm plantations with different soil types and plantation
management
Growth Soil type Plantation a b R2 Time-averaged
equation management total carbon
stock
(Mg C ha−1)1
Model I: Mineral Nucleus 2.8167 6.8648 0.8478 42.07 ± 0.03
Y = aA + b
Plasma/indepen- 2.5449 5.0007 0.8441 37.76 ± 0.33
dent
Peat Nucleus 2.5822 7.074 0.8404 40.03 ± 0.27
Model II: Mineral Nucleus 6.6671 0.7318 0.8426 42.32 ± 0.19
Y = aAb
Plasma/indepen- 6.5858 0.6615 0.8054 36.36 ± 0.54
dent
Peat Nucleus 8.7558 0.5836 0.8161 41.71 ± 0.67
1
Averaged over a cycle of 25 years ± standard deviation of plot-level measurements.

time-averaged carbon stock of oil palm under nucleus management and its 95% confidence interval
is 42.07 (42.04–42.10) Mg C ha−1 and 40.03 (39.75–40.30) Mg C ha−1 on mineral and peat soils, respec-
tively. The time-averaged total aboveground carbon stock of oil palm plantations established on
mineral soil under plasma or independent management was estimated at 37.76 (37.42–38.09) Mg C
ha−1.

4. Discussion
Biomass accumulation of oil palm on mineral and peat soils as a function of trunk height can be well
described by a linear regression equation. These results were consistent with other studies reported
by Corley and Tinker (2003), Khalid et al. (1999) and Henson (2004). Overall, this study revealed that
soil type and plantation management styles result in different time-averaged carbon stocks in oil
palm plantations. Time averaged C stocks range from 37.8 to 42.1 Mg C ha−1 for the clusters de-
scribed here. These values include the frond bases attached to the trunk, understorey vegetation,
litter production and necromass; and 90–95% of the time-averaged aboveground carbon stock in
the oil palm biomass. This figure is based on an average density of 138 palms per ha and will have to
be modified for plantations with significantly lower palm density, or different rotation length.

If we assume, in the absence of a full assessment of stratum weights, that the average across our
samples in the various clusters represents typical conditions for Indonesian palm oil production, the
resulting estimate of time-averaged C stock is slightly higher than obtained in previous studies.
Previous studies have been generally based on smaller data-sets. Germer and Sauerborn (2008) es-
timated a value around 29.69 Mg C ha−1(based on 51 studied plots); Henson (2003) 36 Mg C ha−1;
Palm et al. (2004) 36.4 Mg C ha−1; and Dewi et al. (2009) 36.95 Mg C ha−1(based on 13 studied plots).
Palm density, the inclusion of all aboveground carbon-stock pools, soil types and variations in man-
agement can be major sources of different results. Most of the literature did not provide complete
information on the terms included. The present data-set has a much broader empirical basis than
the values published before.

A value of 36 Mg C ha−1 has been used as basis for estimates of historical carbon emissions due to
oil palm development in Southeast Asia (Agus et al., 2013b). For ease of use and in view of the level
of precision of terrestrial carbon-stock data, we propose that a value of 40 Mg C ha−1 in aboveground
stocks can still be used as the threshold for carbon debt-free land conversion. For that reason, our
results lead to a clear rejection of the 75 Mg C ha−1 proposal of Raison et al. (2015) as threshold value
for aboveground carbon (AGC) of land that can be converted to oil palm with a claim to be carbon
neutral at plot level. Whether or not landscape-level compensation can justify use of the term “car-
bon neutral” is open to debate.

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Existing data on shoot:root ratios suggest that oil palm is not substantially different from the 4:1
ratios assumed for humid tropical forest vegetation on mineral soils (Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, 1996), although in young palms ratios can be higher (Syahrinudin, 2005) and in
mature forests lower (Mokany, Raison, & Prokushkin, 2006). The aboveground threshold for debt-free
conversion can, with assumed equivalence of shoot:root ratios, also be applied to total biomass.
Consequences of oil palm management on soil carbon, as further step in the life cycle assessment of
a carbon footprint, are discussed in a companion paper (Khasanah et al., 2015). The results of soil
carbon study suggested that there is no change in mineral soil carbon stock under oil palm planta-
tions derived from forest or non-forest in Indonesia.

The types of vegetation that can be converted debt-free to oil palm include grasslands (3.4 Mg C
ha−1) and shrub (34.4 Mg C ha−1), but not monocultural rubber plantations (44.1 Mg C ha−1), rubber
agroforest (176.6 Mg C ha−1) and similar secondary or logged-over forests (65.4–218.8 Mg C ha−1) of
higher C stock (Agus et al., 2013a; Hairiah et al., 2011; Khasanah et al., 2012). In view of variation of
the shoot:root ratios, grassland have shoot:root ratios around one-third of oil palm (0.7–0.8)
(Syahrinudin, 2005), however, aboveground biomass of grassland (3.4 Mg C ha−1) is much less than
oil palm.

According to Dewi [pers comm, November 2013], the land area that is considered suitable for palm
oil and considered as green oil palm in Indonesia is substantial, but does not fully allow for a dou-
bling of the current oil palm area of 6.58 Mha, as planned by the Ministry of Agriculture. With a mod-
est carbon debt of up to 20 Mg C ha−1, it is still possible to meet current EU RED thresholds and this
may allow a doubling of the current area provided no other competing land uses take priority. In
practice, oil palm is in some areas replacing paddy rice, as observed in Riau province (Budidarsono
et al., 2013) and such conversion can be free of carbon debt, but is a sensitive issue in Indonesia’s
food security debate.

The dominance of relatively small land patches (25–100 ha) in the carbon debt-free potential area
suggests that future establishment of oil palm in these areas might have to adopt a small-scale
production system, as has emerged in Southern Thailand, peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra as a
business model, rather than the pioneer large-scale models used in Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan
on the island of Borneo. Most of the larger patches identified were located in West Kalimantan prov-
ince. A shift to oil palm production that meets environmental standards may coincide with a shift in
the socio-economic characteristics of oil palm production in Indonesia (Budidarsono et al., 2013).

Beyond the carbon debt based on a comparison of aboveground biomass of preceding vegetation
and oil palm, changes in soil pools, recurrent emissions due to fertilization as other emission factors
and data on the harvested yield to be used as denominator, are needed before footprints can be
assessed (van Noordwijk, Khasanah, & Dewi, 2013).

5. Conclusions
Oil palm can be established free of (aboveground) carbon debt where it replaces vegetation with a
time-averaged carbon stock of 37.76 ± 0.33–42.07 ± 0.03 Mg C ha−1. Soil type and plantation man-
agement account for the variation in estimates where details are known. Establishing oil palm plan-
tations in areas with higher preceding carbon stock (values above 40 Mg C ha−1 as ballpark figure) will
lead to net release of carbon to the atmosphere, with changes in soil pools, recurrent emissions due
to fertilization as other emission factors and the harvested yield to be used as denominator needed
before footprints can be assessed.

Acknowledgements the design and implementation of the stratification scheme.

We thank Dr. Rosediana Soeharto (Indonesia Palm Oil We also received valuable input during the establishment of
Committee/IPOC) for linking us to oil palm companies and the methodology for oil palm biomass measurement from
organizing the implementation of the survey. Twenty-five Dr. Jean Pierre Caliman of PT. Smart and Dr. Mukesh Sharma
oil palm plantations, which prefer to remain anonymous, of PT. Asian Agri. The authors declare to have no commercial
are acknowledged for participating in the study. Andree or political interest in the outcomes of the research reported
Ekadinata, Elissa Dwiyanti and Sonya Dewi contributed to here. Valuable inputs on a draft version of the manuscript

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