Book Jacket

The Potential of U.S. Forest Soils to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect completes a three-volume "series" that previously covered soil carbon in croplands and grazing lands. Much attention has been given to aboveground biomass and its potential as a carbon sink, but in mature forest ecosystems 40 to 60 percent of the stored carbon is below ground. As increasing numbers of forests are being managed in diverse climates and soils, the importance of forest soils a potential carbon sink grows.

This book provides researchers and policy makers with an understanding of soil processes and their relation to carbon dynamics, as well as the strategies to monitor, and the techniques to measure forest soil carbon. It covers the effects of management on soils in a wide range of forest ecosystems together with policy options that are effective and benefit both the forest community and the overall environment. The Potential of U.S. Forest Soils to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect provides forest managers, urban planners, land owners, policy makers, and the general public with guidance that will allow for a holistic approach to land management, environmental quality, and improved forest productivity.

Features: