The accrual of land use history in Utah's forest carbon cycle

The out-of-control global carbon cycle is driven not only by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel combustion but also from accelerated carbon cycling through human-impacted ecosystems. Here I estimate that forests in Utah are currently accumulating atmospheric carbon in biomass, detritus, and soil largely in response to 150 years of domestic livestock grazing, altered fire regimes, and logging. I attribute forest-carbon accumulation, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, to expanding pinon and juniper woodlands and to timberlands regrowing following historical logging. Despite the accumulation of carbon in Utah's forests, this forestcarbon sink compensates for at most 25 percent of statewide greenhouse gas emissions and more likely between 10 percent to 15 percent. This article emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary study of the global carbon cycle and specifically encourages environmental historians to help natural scientists explore how historical land uses exert long-lasting influence on the atmosphere's concentrations of greenhouse gases.

Duke Scholars

Author Daniel D. Richter Earth and Climate Sciences