An additional benefit of this “grassland carbon storage system” is that the sequestered carbon is supporting a lush prairie ecosystem above ground. This storage ability is cumulative over time so prairie soil is able to sequester or store large volumes of carbon in a natural, safe, effective and reliable way compared to the risky and expensive practice of pumping CO2 underground. 30 and 1.7 metric tons per acre per year. Various studies of the potential for tallgrass prairie carbon storage have shown that the storage rates vary between. The roots of some prairie plants can extend to a depth of 10 feet or more. ![]() Soils under long-established prairie grasslands can contain more than 10 tons of roots per acre with most of this bulk in the top 24 inches. By comparison cool season turf grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass at the far left in the photo (under the arrow), have very shallow root systems which are much less effective in controlling erosion and withstanding severe drought. In the photo to the left native prairie plants typically have deep and extensive root systems which help them survive dry conditions and which effectively hold soil. Prairie Roots – US Environmental Protection Agency Perennial plant root systems store large amounts of carbon and in the process create rich, highly fertile soil. Prairie forbs and grasses live for decades or longer in undisturbed settings and over time are able to produce extensive root systems. In a prairie creation project a highly diverse seed mix typically includes 25% wild flowers (forbs), a dozen or more species and 75% warm season grasses ( Big Blue Stem, Little Blue Stem, Indian Grass, Virginia Wild Rye, Switch Grass, etc.). A perennial plant is one that lives more than 2 years. Highly diverse prairie grasslands such as tallgrass prairie remnantsmay contain more than 200 species of plants many of which are perennials. When the plant dies some of the root remains in the soil for hundreds of years as organic carbon humus. In prairie grasslands a large amount of fixed carbon is stored in plant roots. Photosynthesis is the biochemical process by which plants remove carbon from the atmosphere. During this process plants give off oxygen. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and use the sun’s energy to ‘fix” this carbon to make sugars and other carbohydrates which the plant can store and use later or be used by other organisms.
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