PATHWAYS TO PROGRESS
of vegetation. With this comes improved carbon
and croplands are important strategies not only
storage capacity.
for protecting habitat, but also for maintaining carbon storage and other ecological services pro-
Grasslands
vided by nature.
In grass and grazing lands the majority of carbon
Studies are underway to identify where the
storage is in the soil, where the extensive networks
greatest advantage for carbon sequestration in
of fibrous roots penetrate deeply and enrich the soil
plants and soils may be.85 The findings will help
with organic matter in death. The world’s culti-
us better understand and take advantage of this
vated soils have lost between 50 and 70 percent of
potential.
their original carbon stock. That includes North
Research in northeast Wisconsin has identi-
America’s vast grasslands, which nurtured deep,
fied land areas that are not optimal for agriculture
fertile soils, and have been largely transformed into
and would more suitably be dedicated to biofuel
agricultural lands. Through intense cultivation of
source crops such as perennial grasses or woody
these former prairies over the last two centuries,
shrubs. These studies have evaluated economic
massive amounts of carbon once held in their soils
and environmental outcomes of converting poorly
have been released into the atmosphere.
drained, marginal agricultural areas into peren-
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Researchers are studying how land restora-
nial, biomass yielding grasslands for electricity
tion and regenerative agricultural practices—such
and heat generation in that part of the state. These
as planting fields year-round in crops or other
are areas where planting annual row crops is often
protective plant cover, and practicing agrofor-
delayed, prevented, or unprofitable in wet years.
estry that combines crops, trees, and animal
Spring soil saturation is expected to maximize
husbandry—can reduce atmospheric CO2 while
warm season grass production by providing ideal
boosting soil productivity and resilience to floods
moisture availability during the more commonly
and droughts.
water-limited summer.
83
No-till farming has long been advocated as a
The wetter conditions and finer textured,
means of minimizing soil erosion and maintaining
high-clay-content soils characterizing low-lying
soil fertility, and has been on the rise. It also has the
areas in northeast Wisconsin should maximize
advantage of less soil disturbance and less release
carbon-sequestration rates since wet clay condi-
of stored CO2 and methane. A drawback is heavier
tions delay organic decomposition. Establishing
reliance on chemical herbicides to control weeds,
perennial grasslands in these wet areas will not
but use of cover crops and other techniques are
only maximize carbon sequestration per unit of
helping in this area. Researchers are also studying
lost agricultural productivity for food or fiber but
how landform characteristics and ecosystem pro-
also serve as a buffer between agricultural up-
cesses can influence the soil and vegetative cover
lands and aquatic systems, reducing nutrient and
and, in turn, the carbon storage potential.
sediment loading into waterways—an additional
84
Protecting wetlands, old growth forests, and woodlots, and improving management of pasture
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Climate Forward
ecological benefit for the same land conversion costs.86