New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Assessing agroforestry's advantages: Scientists develop model to assess the impact agroforestry windbreaks have on farming operations

Date:
June 30, 2011
Source:
American Society of Agronomy
Summary:
Agroforestry can provide production benefits while capturing substantial amounts of carbon on agricultural lands. Research is being conducted towards developing a method of accurately determining agroforestry's benefits in farming operations.
Share:
FULL STORY

Agroforestry, the deliberate placement of trees into crop and livestock operations, can help capture substantial amounts of carbon on agricultural lands while providing production and conservation benefits. However, we currently lack tools for accurately estimating current and projected carbon values in these systems.

In North America, windbreaks are an effective carbon-capturing option. Only occupying about 2 to 5% of the land, windbreaks also help protect crops and livestock, as well as reduce wind erosion. They provide a means to increase production while reducing greenhouse gases.

James Brandle, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor, explains that unlike forests, the linear design of windbreaks creates a more open environment with different light and climate conditions. As a result, agroforestry trees usually have different characteristics than trees grown under forest conditions. New tools specifically designed for windbreak trees are needed to determine current or future amounts of carbon contained in agroforestry practices.

Researchers at the University of Florida, University of Kansas, University of Nebraska and the USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) have developed a model to predict the amount of carbon contained by agroforestry systems. This modeling approach uses detailed web-available data for windbreak, soils and climate.

While this research focused only on green ash windbreak growth in Nebraska, it provides a good basis for determining agroforestry's contributions in farming operations.

This research was supported by the Research Joint Venture Agreement through the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service, and the McIntyre-Stennis Forestry Research Program at the University of Nebraska. The complete results from this study were published in the May/June 2011 issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality.


Story Source:

Materials provided by American Society of Agronomy. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Qingjiang Hou, Linda J. Young, James R. Brandle, Michele M. Schoeneberger. A Spatial Model Approach for Assessing Windbreak Growth and Carbon Stocks. Journal of Environment Quality, 2011; 40 (3): 842 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2010.0098

Cite This Page:

American Society of Agronomy. "Assessing agroforestry's advantages: Scientists develop model to assess the impact agroforestry windbreaks have on farming operations." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 June 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630171725.htm>.
American Society of Agronomy. (2011, June 30). Assessing agroforestry's advantages: Scientists develop model to assess the impact agroforestry windbreaks have on farming operations. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630171725.htm
American Society of Agronomy. "Assessing agroforestry's advantages: Scientists develop model to assess the impact agroforestry windbreaks have on farming operations." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630171725.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES