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USDA Announces New Tool for Estimating Soil Carbon Sequestration
Carbon sequestration in soils suggests that fluxes or movements of
carbon from the atmosphere can be increased while the natural release of
carbon back into the air can be reduced. By absorbing carbon instead of
emitting it, soils could evolve from carbon sources to carbon sinks. This
process relies on respiration and photosynthesis, two basic processes of
the carbon cycle. Carbon, entering the soil in form of roots, litter,
harvest residues, and animal manure, is stored primarily as soil organic
matter (SOM). |
NRCS is offering farmers and ranchers a new online management tool called COMET-VR
that provides a simple and reliable method for estimating soil carbon
sequestration. Storing, or “sequestering,” carbon in soil as organic matter and
in trees helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. COMET-VR
was field tested by individuals involved in crop production, livestock grazing
and conservation planning in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, and
Wyoming.
NRCS news release
“USDA Carbon
Management Tool to Help Farmers and Ranchers with Soil Carbon Sequestration”
(March 23, 2005)
news release
“New Greenhouse Gas Reporting Guidance for Farms and Forests” (March 23,
2005)
COMET-VR
USDA
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Guidelines
DOE
Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program 1605(b)
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