Quantifying carbon stocks across Alberta’s grasslands in support of a provincial carbon strategy

Dr. Edward Bork | Professor and Mattheis Chair in Rangeland Ecology & Management
Director, Rangeland Research Institute
Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science
Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences
University of Alberta

Dr. Bork is working with several graduate students and collaborators from federal and provincial ministries to quantify the size and composition of carbon pools across various land use types in southern and central Alberta. Members of the research team will examine how carbon pools change with vegetation type, soil physical properties, and presence or absence of livestock. Researchers will link their field results to the provincial Grassland Vegetation Inventory (GVI), thus helping to enhance the spatial understanding of carbon storage across different agro-climatic zones. Ultimately, this research is expected to support the development of an innovative policy that recognizes and rewards landowners for carbon storage. The research team for this project includes M.Sc. students Mark Lyseng and Donald Schoderbek, Post Doctoral fellow Daniel Hewins, UAlberta faculty members Scott Chang and Cameron CarlyleAlberta Environment and Sustainable Development researchers Barry Adams, Mike Alexander, Craig DeMaere, Darlene Moisey, and Tennille Kupsch, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada emeritus researcher Walter Willms.