Evaluating Long Term Carbon Storage Potential on Private Rangelands Using Dynamic Landscape Modeling

Rangeland ecosystems have the potential to sequester up to 5% of the annually produced CO2 world-wide. Private landowners have the potential to be compensated for their good management practices that sequester carbon in soil, through carbon trading markets. The challenge, however, is providing a reliable system for assigning value to the amount of carbon in a producer&39,s land. Current methods for determining carbon storage potential are appropriate for estimating sequestration only for small, homogenous areas, not the heterogeneous landscapes typical of many livestock operations in Idaho. Modeling tools from The Nature Conservancy&39,s Landscape Toolbox will be integrated with the CENTURY model for soil carbon sequestration to predict the long-term potential of private rangelands to sequester carbon under different management regimes. Software modules and data layers developed during this project will assist landowners as they seek to gain and trade carbon credits, for large heterogeneous landscapes.