Soil carbon sequestration potential in the Hudson Valley, New York-A pilot study utilizing COMET-VR

Abstract

Calculating the soil C sequestration potential of Hudson Valley farms is an important initial step in the effort to develop bestmanagement practices and to reduce GHG emissions for the region. Although our estimates of C sequestration potential for the Hudson Valley translate into a relatively small C market (approximately 3.51 Mg CO2 ha-1 yr-1 [1.55 tn CO2 ac-1 yr-1] sequestered), the knowledge that conservation tillage and rotational grazing management can make a difference for soil C sequestration compared to conventional farming practices is vital information for policy makers and farmers alike. Moreover,this study is among the first to demonstrate the potential for obtaining reliable estimates of soil C sequestration on a region characterized by small-scale and diverse farming.