“Decades of scientific research on grazing and soil organic carbon (SOC) has failed to form a cohesive understanding of how grazing management affects SOC stocks–characterized by different formation and stabilization pathways—across different climatic contexts.” This quote from the introduction to the review paper “Ruminating on soil carbon: Applying current understanding to inform grazing management” frames the dilemma we’re discussing in this episode. How can common management levers that define overall grazing pattern, including timing, intensity, duration, and frequency, be used to optimize mechanistic pathways of SOC sequestration? These authors offer a framework for beginning to answer this important question.
Link to the article here – This open access paper, published at Global Change Biology, can be read or downloaded.
Stanley, P. L., Wilson, C., Patterson, E., Machmuller, M. B., & Cotrufo, M. F. (2024). Ruminating on soil carbon: Applying current understanding to inform grazing management. Global Change Biology, 30, e17223.
Link to “The Art of the Range” Podcast – episode 133 – Ruminating on Soil Carbon with Paige Stanley, Jim Howell, Ariel Greenwood, & Chris Wilson
