The Ecosystem Services and Environmental Consequences of Turfgrass Management.

Turfgrass is the predominant ground cover in urban and suburban land uses, covering approximately one-third of developed land in the US. Its widespread use makes it important to understand the environmental consequences of turfgrass management and the urban ecosystem services turfgrass areas can provide. However, the soil type and condition beneath the grass is an important but often overlooked aspect that controls the magnitude of these environmental consequences and ecosystem services. This presentation will attempt to summarize the state of the science of turfgrass in the urban environment with respect to ecosystem services, soil quality and management, and environmental and socioeconomic concerns of turfgrass management. Important ecosystem services that will be reviewed include carbon sequestration, dust reduction, runoff abatement, and soil conservation. Environmental and socioeconomic challenges are primarily associated with the inputs required for maintaining turfgrass and include fertilizers, fuel, pesticides and potable water. The relative influence of both the grass and the soil beneath will be presented when summarizing these services and challenges in turfgrass ecosystems.