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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 5/29/2014 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Agroforestry systems offer many ecosystem benefits, but such systems have previously been marginalized in temperate environments due to overriding economic goals and perceived management complexity. In view of adaptation to a changing climate, agroforestry systems offer advantages that require quantification and synthesis. This presentation outlined some issues of concern with quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from agroforestry systems. Major points of the presentation include: (1) USDA-Agricultural Research Service has developed protocols for soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions determination; (2) An accessible database of emissions and soil carbon accumulation under different agricultural practices in different regions of the USA has been developed; (3) There is a need for accurate and robust allometric equations to estimate above-ground C storage; (4) Soil organic C estimates need a robust baseline condition and changes with time (~5 years) require knowledge of lateral and vertical distributions in soil; (5) Enormous challenges exist in the accurate estimation of greenhouse gas emissions in research plots based on a number of environmental and edaphic factors, as well as accumulating annual estimates from short-term measurements; (6) A recent, replicated field-scale agroforestry experiment in North Carolina has been established and will provide greenhouse gas emissions data, soil organic C changes, and site-specific allometric equations for above-ground biomass C. |
