Meadows beat out shrubs when it comes to storing carbon

[NickB79]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171123094330.htm

Sørensen compared three types of vegetation that are typical of the Norwegian mountains:

Shrubs (willows)
Heath (crowberry and heather)
Meadow

"I wanted to figure out how much carbon these three vegetation types store and release. My hypothesis was that shrubs store more carbon than heath and meadow vegetation because shrubs have more biomass, and thus have higher rates of photosynthesis," she said.

But it turned out to be the opposite: Shrubs, even though they are tallest, actually store the least carbon.

"It surprised me that meadows actually store a lot more carbon than shrubs. The carbon in meadows is stored mostly below the ground, next to the roots," she said

The amount of carbon stored in heath vegetation is greater than in shrub vegetation, but less than in meadows, she said.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Thanks

For posting this. Confirms my idea for wild flower cover on the side of the house next spring - perennials.

[Nay]

2. I also want to plant a meadow-like strip on the side of our house, using milkweed,

Joe Pye weed, and other native grasses and flowers. We already have stuff like bird feeders, brush piles for cover, bird bath, etc. I was so alarmed by the reports that insect populations are crashing that I wanted to do at least a little to help them out.

[sue4e3]

3. I did wild flowers years ago and continue to . I live in NJ .

I ended up with butterflies,hummingbirds , dragonflies(they dissipated over the years, I still get them but not like in the beginning),carpenter bees(I still like them) and lots and lots of praying mantis. so much so I stopped mowing my lawn because it would create waves of mantis, trying to escape the mower. I love all the insects. wild flowers are my absolute favorite

[Nay]

4. That's so gratifying to hear. I hope I see lots of insects next summer in my little

wild strip.

[JustAnotherGen]

5. We are in Hunterdon County

I have a section of our "garden" as a butterfly and hummingbird garden. I looooove them! We also get carpenter bees. They are so curious and fun to watch!