Wetlands are a valuable resource for water storage, sediment capture, biodiversity, habitat, and carbon (C) sequestration. Alterations to wetland functionality are often linked to land management decisions, such as grazing management. Potential changes in C storage and composition were quantified at study sites within the National Historic Trails Corridor in central Wyoming by measuring differences between historically grazed wet meadows and adjacent long-term grazing exclosures. Hummocks and interspaces were also compared to evaluate the micro-landscape. Initial results indicate that soil organic C (SOC) loss from interspaces has been significant at the center of each wetland. But, interspaces within exclosures appear to have recovered SOC. These results suggest that wetland functions and ecosystem services may be restored under reduced grazing pressure.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.