What a great month it’s been! Spring has surely sprung; people around the world joined together to celebrate Earth Day; and the USDA recognized 5 million acres enrolled in Conservation Easements across the United States.
5 million acres is the size of New Jersey! That’s a lot of land being conserved, but it’s also a lot of air! Land easements may be thought of for their role in improving land and/or water quality, but they also play a significant role in enhancing air quality. By protecting floodplains, fields, and forests, we also protect the ability to sequester carbon.
As the most commonly produced greenhouse gas, Carbon Dioxide plays a critical role in global climate change. Carbon sequestration, which is “the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide,” is a method that can be used to reduce global climate change. Plants absorb CO2 as a part of their biological carbon cycle. When we protect lands, we protect plant habitats and therefore protect resources that sequester carbon.
Landowners can turn their properties into carbon sinks, which are places where more carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere than is released into the atmosphere. This can be done through a variety of practices, from planting trees to rotational grazing.
Conservation Partners will happily help you to implement carbon-smart practices on your land by connecting you with experienced professionals and/or by preserving your land’s ability to sequester carbon through placing it in an easement.
