I love that you’re highlighting these ecosystems! Of course I love trees but it will take all ecosystems functioning where they belong (or…where they shift to?!) and in my experience it’s something most people really don’t know about.
And just for fun, since we’re talking “not trees,” phytoplankton account for only 1-2% of primary producer biomass but store approximately 40% of global carbon. They’re not an ecosystem but it goes to show how important and easily overlooked “non trees” can be! 🌊🪼💖
Thanks Tara! Fully agree. And yes, phytoplankton are super important in the sequestering of carbon too, although I think the 40% figure is for their role in sequestering CO2, not as a percentage stored. Still hugely important though.
Folks see the big, tall trees and assume that storing carbon is all about forests and planting trees. Yet here in California, our grasslands outperform forests in sequestering carbon. Compared to the 48 to 49 metric tons of carbon stored in an acre of forest, California grasslands store between 59.5 to 71.2 metric tons per acre, up to 46 percent more than forests. Grasslands comprise about 10 percent of California’s land area.
Brings back memories of living in Oregon. Smoke everywhere in late summer. In Christchurch, we could smell the smoke from the Australian wildfires a few years back.
Great article. The carbon sinks provided by wetlands and grasslands are critical. I’m curious what the potential of perennial grasses like switchgrass might be on degraded agricultural land?
I see the Christchurch City Council started a trial in spring 2023 to plant areas of various parks with wildflowers in the hope of reducing their carbon footprint by decreasing mowing requirements. The wildflowers would help in sequestering carbon as well as create an environment for a whole range of insects not to mention how beautiful it would look. Humans tend to want to manicure their environment instead of just allowing nature to do it's own thing.
However, there is a lady in Birdlings Flat who has won the 2024 ugliest lawn in the world competition simply by just letting nature take its own course. She never waters her lawn and as a result it is not the even green mat of lawn that most people desire. Think of all the water that would be saved by not watering our lawns! Your article about non-forest carbon-rich ecosystems is interesting in the respect that we don't tend to know about these other sources of storing carbon so thanks for getting the info out there Jono.
Thanks Kim! Yes, it's cool to see expansions of non-grass lawns in places. This is particularly important in dry places where manicured lawns are super resource intensive, not to mention all the chemicals people tend to use.
Haha -- love the idea of the ugliest lawn competition! I bet some of her neighbours hate it!
Have been listening the importance of well managed grasslands and wetlands for carbon seq. at the Oxford Real Farming Conference that is taking place at the moment
Trees are not only visual they are also relatively easy to measure and so generate credits. REDD was always going to happen but its great to see a shout out to the other carbon rich habitats that have failed to make it so far. More power to you Jonathan.
I love that you’re highlighting these ecosystems! Of course I love trees but it will take all ecosystems functioning where they belong (or…where they shift to?!) and in my experience it’s something most people really don’t know about.
And just for fun, since we’re talking “not trees,” phytoplankton account for only 1-2% of primary producer biomass but store approximately 40% of global carbon. They’re not an ecosystem but it goes to show how important and easily overlooked “non trees” can be! 🌊🪼💖
Thanks Tara! Fully agree. And yes, phytoplankton are super important in the sequestering of carbon too, although I think the 40% figure is for their role in sequestering CO2, not as a percentage stored. Still hugely important though.
Folks see the big, tall trees and assume that storing carbon is all about forests and planting trees. Yet here in California, our grasslands outperform forests in sequestering carbon. Compared to the 48 to 49 metric tons of carbon stored in an acre of forest, California grasslands store between 59.5 to 71.2 metric tons per acre, up to 46 percent more than forests. Grasslands comprise about 10 percent of California’s land area.
Love it, Paul. Thanks for those figures. On that note, what's going on in LA right now is scary!
It is utter devastation in portions of LA, whole blocks of Pacific Palisades and other neighborhoods consumed in flame.
We are not having the same problems here in San Diego, about 100 miles south, although I smelled smoke just a couple hours ago.
I might have a special report coming out tomorrow on the fires if I have time to put it together.
Brings back memories of living in Oregon. Smoke everywhere in late summer. In Christchurch, we could smell the smoke from the Australian wildfires a few years back.
😭
Great article. The carbon sinks provided by wetlands and grasslands are critical. I’m curious what the potential of perennial grasses like switchgrass might be on degraded agricultural land?
Thanks! Good question. And not one I can answer easily unfortunately. Perhaps a future post topic.
I see the Christchurch City Council started a trial in spring 2023 to plant areas of various parks with wildflowers in the hope of reducing their carbon footprint by decreasing mowing requirements. The wildflowers would help in sequestering carbon as well as create an environment for a whole range of insects not to mention how beautiful it would look. Humans tend to want to manicure their environment instead of just allowing nature to do it's own thing.
However, there is a lady in Birdlings Flat who has won the 2024 ugliest lawn in the world competition simply by just letting nature take its own course. She never waters her lawn and as a result it is not the even green mat of lawn that most people desire. Think of all the water that would be saved by not watering our lawns! Your article about non-forest carbon-rich ecosystems is interesting in the respect that we don't tend to know about these other sources of storing carbon so thanks for getting the info out there Jono.
Thanks Kim! Yes, it's cool to see expansions of non-grass lawns in places. This is particularly important in dry places where manicured lawns are super resource intensive, not to mention all the chemicals people tend to use.
Haha -- love the idea of the ugliest lawn competition! I bet some of her neighbours hate it!
Have been listening the importance of well managed grasslands and wetlands for carbon seq. at the Oxford Real Farming Conference that is taking place at the moment
Nice! I bet that’s a super interesting conference. Enjoy.
Trees are not only visual they are also relatively easy to measure and so generate credits. REDD was always going to happen but its great to see a shout out to the other carbon rich habitats that have failed to make it so far. More power to you Jonathan.
Thanks Mark! Absolutely.
Interesting article Jonathan. Have you read @nealspackman on his experience with blue carbon projects?
https://nealspackman.substack.com/p/the-false-promise-of-blue-carbon
Thanks Peter! I haven't, so thanks for pointing him out to me. He has a new subscriber.
Great article! Reminds me of this piece, too:
Savannas are vital but overlooked carbon sinks
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn4482
Thanks Gates! I'd forgotten about that piece. Thanks for sharing!
The Mayor of Kaipara has said one of his next tasks is to drain the mangroves. He lives in Mangawhai!!!!.
Oh my!!! 🤦♂️
Excellent post! I could restack every sentence of it.
Thanks so much, Amanda. What a compliment. :)