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Estimating carbon storage in windbreak trees on U.S. agricultural lands

Formally Refereed

Abstract

Assessing carbon (C) capture and storage potential by the agroforestry practice of windbreaks has been limited. This is due, in part, to a lack of suitable data and associated models for estimating tree biomass and C for species growing under more opengrown conditions such as windbreaks in the Central Plains region of the United States (U.S.). We evaluated 15 allometric models using destructively sampled Pinus ponderosa (Lawson & C. Lawson) data from field windbreaks in Nebraska and Montana. Several goodness-of-fit metrics were used to select the optimal model. The Jenkins' et al. model was then usedto estimate biomass for 16 tree species in windbreaks projected over a 50 year time horizon in nine continental
U.S. regions. Carbon storage potential in thewindbreak scenarios ranged from 1.07 + 0.21 to3.84 + 0.04 Mg C ha-1 year -1 for conifer speciesand from 0.99 + 0.16 to 13.6 + 7.72 Mg storage potentialsacross species and regions were 2.45 I 0.42 and4.39 + 1.74 Mg C ha-1 year-1 forconiferandbroadleaveddeciduous species, respectively. Such informationenhances our capacity to better predict the C sequestration potential of windbreaks associated with whole farm/ranch operations in the U.S.

Keywords

climate change: agroforestry: allometric models: tree biomass: carbon storage: open-grown trees

Citation

Possu, William Ballesteros; Brandle, James R.; Domke, Grant M.; Schoeneberger, Michele; Blankenship, Erin. 2016. Estimating carbon storage in windbreak trees on U.S. agricultural lands. Agroforestry Systems. (2016).  16 p.  doi:10.1007/s10457-016-9896-0
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/52572