News
Excerpts from: Page 2 Turfgrass Producers International E-Newsletter, Volume 4 Issue 2, February 2011
Turfgrass is a positive sequesterer of carbon
BY TODD LAYT - as featured in Golf & Sports Turf Australia
Its official! Turf tested positive as a carbon sequesterer in three different studies. One study found turf sequestrates between four to seven times as much carbon as a modern mower discharges. The others were less clear on amounts, but all three studies show turf could be one of the biggest crops when it comes to sequestrating carbon, based on the sheer volume of land under turf cultivation . . .
Studies and analysis
“Technical Assessment of the Carbon Sequestration Potential of Managed Turfgrass in the United States” is a research report by Dr. Ranajit (Ron) Sahu. The key findings in this report are that an average maintained lawn sequestrates four times the carbon compared to the carbon output of a typical modern lawn mower used in maintaining the lawn. If one compares a well-managed lawn to a poorly managed lawn or unmanaged grasslands, the net carbon intake of a well-managed lawn is five to seven times higher than the carbon output of mowing . . .
The full paper can be found at: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/broadcast/33322/33322cr.pdf
Another research paper delved deeper into all inputs that go into maintaining lawns, including higher than average fertilizer and water inputs. The controversial study conducted by the University of California, Irvine made critical errors in its calculation . . .
Soon after, it issued an updated version of the paper. The University of California, Irvine acknowledged a computation error in its recently released study entitled, “Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Urban Turf.” The initial findings blamed common turf grass for contributing to global warming, but it was discovered the findings were based on incorrect data from other experts.
Upon review of the report, various flaws were highlighted. When the computations were corrected, it was found that turfgrass is actually a net sequesterer of carbon dioxide, reversing the conclusions of the original report, although the calculations regarding the amount of fertilizer used in the report were still very high compared to what other research has found. A study by Scotts showed fertilizer use is far less than was assumed in this study. The Irvine study also wrongly assumed all lawns are irrigated regularly. “The grass in your backyard is working hard to keep us cool, soak up carbon, capture particulates, produce oxygen, capture rain water and reduce run-off,” says Kris Kiser, executive vice president of Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), an international trade association. OPEI also noted that the University of California, Irvine study did not acknowledge the dramatic reductions of emissions and fuel use profile for today’s petrol and diesel equipment, nor did the study disclose what model equipment and corresponding fuel use numbers were used . . .
A paper by Gina Nicole Zirkle, Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University, Columbus, titled, “The Potential for Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration in Home Lawns” suggested that results support the conclusion that lawns are a positive net sink for atmospheric CO2 under all evaluated levels of management practices. Further the paper suggested that in an average home landscape, trees sequestrate about 7 to 14 percent of the carbon; shrubs about 1 to 2 percent of the carbon; and turf approximately 80 to 90 percent of the carbon. It also suggested that when a tree dies, most of the carbon escapes back to the atmosphere, whereas turf generally keeps the carbon in the soil.
This paper can be found at: http://acs.confex.com/crops/2009am/webprogram/Paper52288.html (or) http://etd.ohiolink.edu/send-pdf.cgi/Zirkle%20Gina%20N.pdf?osu1267189156
Communication
. . . People who criticize turf will still point to turf needing lots of water. Research shows turf is one of the most water wise plants. A study by the University of Western Sydney, showed that warm season turf has watering requirements about the same as native plants, and [natural] turf accounted for much less water than exotic gardens . . .
The research listed in this article supports the notion that turf is one of the most environmentally friendly urban planting systems available. As an industry, we need to communicate this to the public, or suffer in silence the bad press that turf often receives from uninformed commentators.
Turfgrass Producers International would like to express its
appreciation to Betty Tanddo, Managing Editor—Projects,
Glenvale Publications for permission to reprint this article in it’s
entirety. RE: Golf & Sports Turf Australia, February 2011.
NOTE: Minor changes were made to spelling to accommodate US readers.
Photos provided by — Jim Novak (TPI)