Climate change as a result of anthropogenic fossil fuel combustion is an issue of global concern, especially for those who rely on the land to make their living. As a result, great value has been placed on opportunities to increase carbon (C) storage and subsequently offset greenhouse gas concentrations. To better understand the potential for C storage in rangeland ecosystems, we first need to understand the role land management plays on vegetation communities and subsequent shifts in C pools. In this study we estimate the size of C pools in Alberta grasslands, and explore how it may differ across major agro-climatic zones (300-500 mm precipitation), as well as between areas with and without recent livestock grazing. During 2012 and 2013, shoot biomass was collected from approximately 100 grassland sites distributed throughout southern and central Alberta. Grass, forb, shrub, and litter samples were analyzed for C and nitrogen concentration, and combined with biomass values to derive standing C stocks. This information can ultimately be linked to spatial maps of grassland cover across the province to derive regional estimates of C in aboveground phytomass. Combined with associated information on soil C, these data have the potential to significantly improve our understanding of the role of grasslands, specifically northern grasslands, in storing C. Ultimately we would like to use this data to inform land management practices that would offset C and simultaneously compensate land holders through C offset incentives.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.