Belowground carbon distribution in a pinon-juniper / short grass prairie site

Abstract

Pinon-juniper woodlands encompass over 22.5 million hectares in the Western United States. However, little is known about the ability of these ecosystems to sequester carbon. This paper presents the preliminary results of an investigation on the belowground carbon distribution in a pinon-juniper/short grass prarie site in north-central New Mexico. Using a systematic sampling design the influence of tree cover, tree size, and sampling location (under tree canopy, under grass canopy, or under bare soil) were detected. However, these effects were only present in the upper most soil strata (< 20 cm below soil surface).

Parent Publication

• Ecology, management, and restoration of pinon-juniper and ponderosa pine ecosystems: combined proceedings of the 2005 St. George, Utah and 2006 Albuquerque, New Mexico workshops

Citation

Harrington, John; Williams, Mary. 2008. Belowground carbon distribution in a pinon-juniper / short grass prairie site. In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Shaw, John D.; Ford, Paulette L., compilers. 2008. Ecology, management, and restoration of pinon-juniper and ponderosa pine ecosystems: combined proceedings of the 2005 St. George, Utah and 2006 Albuquerque, New Mexico workshops. Proceedings RMRS-P-51. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 75-80