Influence of Management on Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in Northern Mixed-Grass Rangeland

Understanding grazing management effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation and chemical composition is important to provide effective soil C management options for rangelands. Impacts of grazing on the distribution of soil C between labile and recalcitrant pools are also important to understand C storage potentials in rangelands. If grazing results in greater incorporation of organic matter into recalcitrant soil C pools, then grazing may enhance long-term soil C storage. Environmental conditions such as drought and climate change also influence C sequestration. Research conducted at the High Plains Grasslands Research Station near Cheyenne, Wyoming, on a northern mixed-grass prairie has addressed the role of grazing and climatic conditions on C cycling and the sustainability of this rangeland ecosystem. The chapter summarizes the effects of grazing management and climatic conditions on the potential for C sequestration by a mixed-grass ecosystem.