Paper Details

PJB-2026-1505

Investigating the impacts of pyrogenic carbon on soil characteristics and regeneration stock in Himalayan subtropical pine forests employing ai based ensemble-learning technique

Waqas Umar, Saeed Gulzar, Muhammad Irfan Ashraf, Azeem Khalid and Khuzin Dinislam
Abstract

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Wildfire driven ecological changes are a common phenomenon in Himalayan subtropical pine forests. These fires frequently alter the soil carbon pools and are major drivers of carbon losses and gains in these forests. Carbon losses due to wildfires had been studied in the past but detailed information on net carbon gains in the form of Pyrogenic Carbon (PyC) is limited. The present study was visualized to fill the information gap existing in this regard. The study was conducted using grid node sampling in a Himalayan subtropical pine forest in northeastern Pakistan. Over hundred soil samples were collected at two depths (0-15cm) and (16-30cm) in a composite manner. The soil samples were analysed and relationship of PyC with soil nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, soil pH and soil EC was explored through use of ensemble-learning algorithms, a robust machine learning method based on artificial intelligence technology. We used Random Forest (RF) model which generates predictions from multiple decision trees built simultaneously and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm in which decision trees are built in a sequence one after another leading to higher accuracy. Our results indicated that overall RF in spite of its ruggedness yielded models that are more promising. We found a significantly positive relationship of PyC with soil nitrogen and phosphorus, while PyC did not meaningfully explained variations in soil potassium, soil pH, and soil EC. We observed PyC stocks decreased with increasing soil depth. This study provided information on least studied carbon fraction in Himalayan forests by reporting its stock estimates and their relevance to selected soil characteristics. This will help in understanding the impacts of wildfire driven changes in Himalayan ecosystem

To Cite this article: Umar, W., S. Gulzar, M.I. Ashraf, A. Khalid and K. Dinislam. 2026. Investigating the impacts of pyrogenic carbon on soil characteristics and regeneration stock in Himalayan subtropical pine forests employing ai based ensemble-learning technique. Pak. J. Bot., 58(1): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2026-1(29)  
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