BIE Faculty Roundtable: Environmental Services in Rangeland Production Systems

Developing carbon, energy, and environmental services budgets for management strategies in multifuncional rangeland production systems
James Bartolome (lead faculty), Lynn Huntsinger, William Stewart, Nathan Sayre, John Battles, Peter Berck,

Extensive rangeland systems generate both livestock and a variety of environmental services. Management strategies, markets, policies, and environmental contraints impact benefits obtained. This is increasing demand for biodiversity services via federal and state cost-sharing programs. Biofuels production and carbon credits may affect revenue flows. Rangelands may have capacity to produce biofuels without environmental degradation and food price effects. Rangelands have potential for novel carbon sequestration. Roundtable will, through series of lectures and discussions, examine the state of knowledge and research possibilities of rangelands in addressing biodiversity, carbon sequestration, biofuels, and other goods & services conjointly.

We have held two roundtables this spring with a broad diversity of participants from both within UC Berkeley, the broader UC system, policymakers, and landowners:

March 6
Soil Carbon Pools in California Rangeland Soils: Implications for Carbon Sequestration
March 20
Carbon and Energy Flux in Blue Oak Savannas in California with Professor Dennis Baldocchi

Both powerpoints and discussion notes from each roundtable can be found at: http://nature.berkeley.edu/UCBrangelands/

Our third and final roundtable this spring will be led by Patrick Gonzalez, a visiting scholar in the UC Center for Forestry
May 28th, 11am-1pm, 112 Hilgard
Monitoring carbon in savannas and woodlands with field inventories and remote sensing