Restoring and managing cold desert shrublands for climate change mitigation (Chapter 2)

Abstract

The equation for slowing global warming includes decreasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere as well as increasing carbon sequestration in the biosphere. Many proposed schemes for increasing carbon sequestration, such as afforestation of nonforested lands, involve tradeoffs with other resource values, including water availability. An alternative idea is to restore native plant communities to a condition that maximizes carbon storage without the need for continued resource inputs.

Parent Publication

• Climate change in grasslands, shrublands, and deserts of the interior American West: a review and needs assessment

Citation

Meyer, Susan E. 2012. Restoring and managing cold desert shrublands for climate change mitigation (Chapter 2). In: Finch, Deborah M., ed. Climate change in grasslands, shrublands, and deserts of the interior American West: a review and needs assessment. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-285. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 21-34.