Carbon Sequestration in Forests and Agricultural Soils (Invited)

Numerous proposals are before policy makers for enhanced carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems—forests and agricultural soils—yielding carbon offsets in cap-and-trade systems aimed to control net U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Each of these proposals should be examined carefully to evaluate its additionality, permanence and leakage characteristics . Carbon storage in forests is more rapid than in soils and often more efficient, given the higher C/N ratio in wood than in soil organic materials. The efficacy of maintaining carbon storage in old-growth forests, versus providing enhanced carbon uptake in younger, plantation forests, largely tips in favor of old-growth. Nevertheless, even planting fast-growing species would require an area the size of the state of Texas to sequester 10% of the current U.S. CO2 emissions. Schemes to enhance carbon storage in agricultural soils, derived from the adoption of no- or low-tlll technologies, fertilization, irrigation and biochar application, also need careful evaluation. The most efficient storage is likely to be found in areas of cold, wet soils, with impeded decomposition. In the best case scenarios, it will be unlikely to sequester more than 5% of U.S. emissions as enhanced soil organic matter in cropland soils.