This working group assessed the climate outcomes of several management and conservation practices used widely on U.S. grazing lands. These practices included prescribed grazing, brush management, prescribed burning, pasture and hay plantings, range plantings, herbaceous weed treatment, and riparian and wetland restoration.

The group found that for several widely used land management practices there are likely net long-term beneficial outcomes for GHG flux and ecosystem carbon. However, they found that there may also be tradeoffs between climate and conservation goals for some practices, and that the ecological context of practice implementation may have strong effects on its long-term outcomes. There were few practices with unequivocal and strong beneficial climate outcomes and no tradeoffs.

Summary

TWG MEMBERS

• Jennifer Watts (chair), Woodwell Climate Research Center

• Corrine N. Knapp, University of Wyoming

• Sasha Gennet, The Nature Conservancy

• Jocelyn Lavallee, Environmental Defense Fund

• John Ritten, Colorado State University

RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

• Kris Hulvey, Ecologist and Lead Scientist, Working Lands Conservation

• Megan Nasto, Soil Science Program Director, Working Lands Conservation

• Elana Feldman, Rangeland Ecologist, Working Lands Conservation

• Samuel Willard, Soil Scientist, University of Pennsylvania & The Nature Conservancy