Carbon, Soils, and Your Ranch - 6/6/08

Point Reyes Dance Palace

Point Reyes Station, California

An Introduction to Carbon Sequestration on Rangelands

Contacts: David Lewis, 707-565-2621 and Steve Quirt 415-499-4204

Co-sponsors: U.C. Cooperative Extension and Marin Resource Conservation District

Background

The threat of global warming and the opportunity to manage carbon with soils has sparked considerable interest in market based compensation of soil carbon sequestration that decreases green house gas emissions. Rangelands managed for livestock production represent the largest land-use footprint globally, accounting for 25 to 35 % of the global soil carbon pool, and may have potential to sequester more.

Presenters:

Introduced online soil survey resources,
Explained carbon cycles in soil,
Described the current state of markets and availability of compensation,
Shared preliminary results from recent soil carbon studies across Marin and Sonoma Counties, and
Outlined rangeland management that can lead to improvements in pasture condition and ranch viability through improved soil conditions.

Speakers:

Dr. Whendee Silver – What is carbon sequestration and how does it work in grassland soils?
UC Berkeley Professor of Ecosystem Ecology

Dr. William Stewart –Existing and needed carbon market connections

UC Berkeley Forestry Specialist

Dr. Anthony O’Geen – Local soils described online

UC Davis Soil Specialist

Stephanie Larson – Rangeland and livestock management options and tools

UCCE Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor

Andrew Fynn – Introduction to the “Marin Carbon Project”
Spokesperson, Marin Carbon Project

Workshop Flyer

Links to Presentations