Author

Melody Scott

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Oberle, Brad

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

Microforests are important afforestation projects to increase carbon mitigation efforts that can help combat climate change and sequester carbon into the biomass and soil of the project site. Soil health is important to ensure that plants are thriving and carbon is being sequestered. This study’s goal was to create a model that could predict the carbon sequestered into the soil over time at a microforest site. Over a combined six months of field work soil samples were collected from a newly afforested microforest site as well as two older microforest sites and one food forest and carbon farm, as well as the adjacent lawns. By comparing the averages in the soil bulk density this research concluded that the afforested sites did sequester carbon into the soil. The research also found that the rates of change between the soil bulk density at the comparative sites could not be used to create a predictive carbon model, as there were potentially important variables other than the soil samples that have to be taken into account when creating a model like this.

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