Urban forests help regulate the flow of ecosystem services and are efficient to sequester atmospheric carbon. Tree carbon stock in urban forests and green spaces can help improve human well-being. Nagpur being one of the fastest growing urban agglomerate in India has faced a rapid loss of green spaces in last three decades. The present study assessed tree biomass carbon storage potential of a historically conserved large (67.41 ha) Seminary Hills Reserve forest of Nagpur. A total of 150 quadrats of 100 m~2 were laid to understand the vegetation structure and tree biomass storage. Overall structure and composition of the forest was assessed, while non-destructive biomass estimation was carried out using tree volume equations. A total of 27 tree species belonging to 12 plant families were observed from the forest with only 6 tree species being dominant and remaining 21 being rare in occurrence. The present study clearly reflects the importance of urban forests with reference to regulating ecosystem services. Trees in urban sprawls of developing country like India are already exposed to higher temperature, carbon and GHG concentrations, and nitrogen deposition than trees growing in rural and peri-urban areas. Supporting biodiversity inclusive decision-making should be of prime concern for urban planners to understand the associated synergies between increasing carbon sinks that can help in reducing urban climatic vulnerabilities. While climate cooling and biodiversity benefits are well acknowledged and recognized, carbon ecosystem service benefits have been mostly being ignored and neglected in context of urban forests and urban green spaces. Urban forests and urban green spaces are an important part of carbon puzzle, and hence the Government of India is planning to enhance tree cover in over 2 lakh hectares of urban and peri-urban areas under National Action Plan on Climate Change, 2008. More enforcement of such policies is required to promote greening forest patches threatened by expanding urban development, overexploitation of natural resources, destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats, and diffused planting. The results and details provided in the paper are a significant attempt in the direction especially for Nagpur city, a fast growing urban area and also one of the Smart city being developed under AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation), 2015. Present urban framework and policies need to be more stringent and need to dedicate a significant percentage of urban forest and UGS as a mandatory feature for not only Nagpur but other growing cities also. Urban forest management should be highlighted in the guidelines as a mandatory clause like industrial development where 33-35 of vegetation cover is mandatory in India.
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