Terrestrial Storage

Terrestrial carbon sequestration involves changing the management of forests, rangelands, agricultural lands, and wetlands to either remove more CO₂ from the air or reduce CO₂ emissions from these ecosystems. To be effective in curbing the rise in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, these changes must persist for decades or longer.

Terrestrial sequestration can be illustrated by looking at four types of measures:

First, land management practices can be altered to decrease the decomposition of organic matter (which releases CO₂) and to sustainably increase the rate of plant photosynthesis per acre. Examples include reforesting cleared or mined lands, switching crops to those that require little or no tillage, and planting long-lived tree species.

Second, trees can be used to produce long-lasting products, such as high-quality furniture, that can keep captured CO₂ out of the atmosphere for many years.

Third, forests that are choked with brush or are otherwise unhealthy can be managed to reduce “fire fuels” by removing this material for renewable biomass power production. This approach helps avoid severe wildfires and the associated potential for large CO₂ emissions. Electricity from biomass power production also displaces fossil fuel use and its CO₂ emissions.

Fourth, land use decisions can be influenced to promote uses that tend to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, such as parklands and greenbelts, and to discourage uses that tend to increase CO₂ emissions, such as “sprawling” suburban development.

Measuring the amount of carbon stored through terrestrial sequestration is not always straightforward. Establishing “baselines” of current carbon stocks and changes that would normally take place over time are a vital first step. In addition, terrestrial sequestration validation tests must address not only the effectiveness of proposed land management practices, but also the accuracy and repeatability of the associated carbon measurement methods.

One of the attractions of terrestrial sequestration is its lower initial cost (relative to other CO₂ storage options) coupled with the potential for significant environmental, economic, and aesthetic co-benefits. These may include:

• Improving forest health
• Creating new wildlife habitat
• Preventing soil erosion and stream sedimentation
• Boosting local and regional economies
• Reclaiming poorly managed soils
• Increasing the recreational value of lands