Carbon up in smoke
Unlike forests, grasslands sequester most of their carbon underground, while forests store it mostly in woody biomass and leaves. When wildfires cause trees to go up in flames, the burned carbon they formerly stored is released back to the atmosphere.
How much carbon do grasslands sequester?
Global grasslands are important components of the terrestrial C cycle, storing 119–121 Pg C in grasslands and grazing lands (Erb et al. 2018), and 10–30% of SOC with a sequestration rate of 0.5 Pg C y−1 (Follett and Reed 2010).
Do grasslands capture carbon?
Prairie systems contain much more soil organic carbon than other ecosystems due to rooting characteristics of the vegetation that grows there. These systems have adapted to frequent fire and grazing by developing deep root systems.
