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Sequestering carbon by planting hedgerows – PowerPoint

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Summary

This short powerpoint outlines the University of Leeds' recent work understanding carbon sequestration abilities of hedgerows.

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Abstract

Carbon (C) sequestration by vegetation and soil is an essential part of addressing climate change and achieving net-zero commitments. Hedgerows can contribute towards climate change mitigation, as they store C in their biomass and in the soil, while providing food and habitat for farmland biodiversity, offering shelter for livestock, and increasing overall climate change resilience on farms. We sampled biomass and soil of hawthorn and blackthorn hedgerows of different ages to estimate their C sequestration rate from planting to maturity. Planting hedgerows will contribute towards reaching net-zero targets, but the degree of this contribution will depend on how many hedges will be planted. We calculated how much CO2 will be stored in aboveground biomass (AGB) by 2050, and how much CO2 will be stored in total biomass and in the soil by 2063 (40 years on) under three different hedgerow planting scenarios, as well as their annual offset of England’s agricultural CO2 emissions, which are estimated to be 5.6 Tg CO2 each year.

Author(s): Chapman, P. J., Biffi, S.

Publisher: The University of Leeds