Are Longleaf Pine Forest Carbon Sinks?
• Global climate change and the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can be mitigated by the proper management of soils and forests through carbon sequestration. • Longleaf pine forests and soils sequester large quantities of carbon because of long timber rotations and temperate climate conditions. • The objective of the project was to examine how forest structure influences the rate of soil respiration to better understand forest management effects on carbon pools. • Soil respiration was examined in response to: • basal area, • live, dead, coarse, and fine root biomass, • woody debris in the soil, • soil charcoal mass, • litter depth and litter mass, • downed woody debris, • aboveground biomass in woody species, • environmental conditions, • and estimated percent ground cover.
