Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Coarse Root Contribution to Carbon Sequestration.

It is well established that afforestation leads to a redistribution of carbon in ecosystems. In the southeastern United States a popular choice for afforestation projects is loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) because of its rapid growth and economic value as a timber source. These plantations represent a large sink of carbon for carbon sequestration projects. Particularly structural roots (>3mm), that have undergone secondary thickening which makes them less prone to rapid decomposition, represent a longer term carbon sink than fine roots (<3mm). Due to the extensive nature of loblolly pine roots, sampling strategies may inherently underestimate total structural root biomass and carbon storage. This study aims to examine the contribution from coarse roots of loblolly pine in carbon sequestration projects. Our intention is to avoid the possibly inherent underestimation associated with other sampling methods, while simultaneously avoiding the complications associated with total root system excavation by excavating taproots in combination with 1m² plots to sample lateral and vertical non-taproots in 20 cm depth intervals. Preliminary results are presented.