Carbon storage potential of Bluejack oak (Quercus incana Roxb.) forests under the influence of structural and functional ecological traits

Carbon storage in vegetation sustains climate regulation by facilitating carbon sequestration (CS). varying abilities of plant species to sequester, retain, and emit carbon make their collective functional traits pivotal in deriving carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems. However, combined impacts of stand structures and functional traits on multi-layered above-ground carbon storage across forest strata, and their shifts along the altitudinal gradients in single-species forests, remain understudied. Using data from 195 quadrates (20 × 20m ² ) across five monodominant Quercus incana forests in Hindu Himalayas, we analyzed relationship between stand structures, functional traits, and yearly CS. SEM used to assess direct and indirect influences of elevation, stand structural attributes DBH, H, CA, FB, and functional traits on carbon storage. The results showed that stand structures strongly influenced carbon storage, with significant correlations in Zone2 (1524 m; β = 0.144, p = 0.04), Zone3 (2000–2300 m; β = 0.272, p = 0.001), and Zone5 (2400-2700m; β = 0.306, p = 0.001). Functional traits exhibited elevation specific effects, BT and WD correlated positively with carbon in Zone3,5 (p = 0.001) but weakened in Zone1,2 (p > 0.05). Leaf traits LDMC, LT showed significant positive correlation in Zone5 (p = 0.001), while SLA had inconsistent effect, including slightly negative in Zone4 (p ~ 0.05). Our study illustrates that the effect of stand structures and functional traits on carbon storage are forest strata and elevation mediated, serving as key predictors of CS across elevations. Prioritizing these factors bid a robust framework for modeling how traits derive under climate change, particularly monodominant forests. This approach augments predictive accuracy in assessing climate carbon feedback and informs targeted ecosystem management.