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6978279 
Journal Article 
The potential of soil carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems to mitigate the greenhouse effect 
Lal, R; , 
2001 
SOIL SCIENCE SOC AMER 
MADISON 
137-154 
WOS:000177597400011 
The importance of soil C sequestration in managed and natural forest ecosystems is not recognized because of the lack of readily available research information on magnitude and rate of soil C sequestration. The perception that soil C sequestration is not important vis-A-vis the amount of C sequestered in the above-ground biomass is not supported by the published experimental data from different ecoregions. The soil organic carbon (SOC) pool in forest ecosystems can be equal to or more than that in the above-ground biomass. The rate of soil C sequestration due to change in land use from agricultural to natural or managed forest ecosystems depends on antecedent soil quality and ecoregional characteristics. Similar to cropland, the rate of C sequestration in forest soils also can be limited by nutrient deficiency and elemental toxicity. Lack of N availability can curtail the biomass productivity and conversion of litter and root biomass to humus. Alleviation of drought and optimization of soil-water availability can enhance C sequestration in forest soil also. Depending on soil and ecoregional factors, the magnitude of soil C sequestration can be 20 to 50 Mg C ha(-1). The rate of C sequestration is either low or even negative in the first 3 to 5 yr, rising to the maximum level within 10 to 15 yr, and eventually declining to a zero when soil is in equilibrium with the vegetation. The mean rate of soil C sequestration over 40- to 50-yr period may be 0.5 to 1 Mg C ha(-1) yr(-1). The potential of soil C sequestration through afforestation is more in,degraded soils where the needed inputs are applied to achieve the desired level of productivity. Restoration of degraded soils at the global scale has a potential to sequester up to 3 Pg C yr(-1) in soil and biomass, and arrest the rate of increase in atmospheric concentration of CO(2). 
Lal, R; 
0-89118-836-3 
Symposium on Soil Carbon Sequestration and the Greenhouse Effect held at the 90th Annual Meeting of the Soil-Science-Society-of-America 
BALTIMORE, MD