Vegetation and soil data: mangrove plantations in Bangladesh

In this study, we assessed three carbon pools (aboveground and belowground biomass of trees, saplings, and mangrove soils) of mangrove plantations in Bangladesh. We sampled trees and saplings from 72 nested circular plots (each plot consists of three sub-plots; the total number of subplots: 216) from the plantations of ages 5 to 42 years in three geomorphic regions (24 plots for each region - East, Central, and West) and 15 plots (total number of subplots: 45) from the natural mangroves (located in the West coast) in the Bangladesh Delta. Tree and sapling attributes were assessed from 10m and 3m radius plots, respectively, at selected sampling sites in 2020. We found that the mean ecosystem carbon stock of 5–42 years aged (average age: 25.5 years) mangrove plantations was 190.1 (±30.3) Mg C ha−1, with ecosystem carbon stocks varying regionally. Plantations at age 5 to 42 years achieved 52% of the mean ecosystem carbon stock calculated for the reference site (Sundarbans natural mangroves in Bangladesh).