GREEN RIVER - Carbon: It's good in the ground, but bad in the air.

Scientists believe increasing the carbon in soils - a process known as soil carbon sequestration - may help reduce the rise of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere that contribute to global warming

But how the process might affect the big sagebrush habitat in counties such as Sweetwater, Lincoln and Sublette is currently unclear, researchers say.

The Bureau of Land Management Kemmerer Field Office is embarking on a cooperative effort this spring with the USDA Agriculture Research Service and the University of Wyoming to study soil carbon sequestration in the big sagebrush ecosystems of southwest Wyoming.

Carbon is a key ingredient in soil organic matter. Plants produce organic compounds by combining sunlight, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from soils.

Scientists say plowing results in the loss of organic matter, which makes soil more likely to erode. Agriculture producers have been searching for ways to minimize carbon loss and maximize retention of carbon in the soil.

But BLM spokeswoman Marion Burgin said scientific analysis is lacking about soil carbon sequestration in areas with big sagebrush habitat.

"For example, increasing soil carbon …. may provide improved soil quality and increased water infiltration capacity" in the region's big sagebrush ecosystems, she said.

As part of the study, researchers collected soil samples from big sagebrush communities on May 18 in the Cow Hollow and Fontenelle areas of Lincoln County.

A total of 180 samples were collected using a hydraulic machine that collects a two-foot-deep core sample, Burgin said.

Samples were taken in from nine sites with different plant communities and management histories.

Burgin said subsequent laboratory analyses of soil carbon and nitrogen will provide much-needed data for researchers.

The research findings will be presented to the Chicago Climate Exchange for potential inclusion in the Rangeland Soil Carbon Offset program, which currently does not include lands on which big sagebrush is a major plant species.

As a result, Wyoming producers with lands in big sagebrush systems are not eligible to participate in the offset program and receive financial payments for possible carbon sequestration funds.

Lots of sagebrush

Wyoming has more sagebrush than any other state. Sagebrush occupies about 32 million acres, or roughly half of the Cowboy State.

Sagebrush and other shrubs provide essential habitat for a large variety of wildlife, including important, shrub-dependent species such as mule deer and sage grouse.

Big sagebrush provides forage and protection from the elements, predators and other dangers for many wildlife species.

But biologists say there has been a downward trend in big sagebrush production and habitat in western Wyoming in recent years, due in part to increasing energy development in fields such as Jonah and Pinedale Anticline in Sublette County.

At the same time, Wyoming lawmakers have been at the forefront of the nation's efforts to develop carbon sequestration programs.

Carbon sequestration refers to the act of taking carbon dioxide that is generated from human activity and storing it underground only for the purpose of not allowing it to enter the atmosphere.

The Legislature passed three bills this past session that were designed to jump start the industry in Wyoming by creating a legal framework for CO2 storage.

The primary reason for the work is to protect Wyoming's coal industry, which produces CO2, a greenhouse gas thought by many scientists to contribute to global climate change.

Scientists believe soil carbon sequestration may not only mitigate the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, but could also improve soil quality and increase water infiltration capacity.

The best available research data on soil carbon sequestration and acreage by land use were compiled by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture's Carbon Sequestration Program.

Program officials estimate that Wyoming lands could sequester 2.9 to 7.8 million tons of carbon per year on rangelands and croplands and in forests.

Burgin said the lead researchers for the study include Justin Derner and Jerry Schuman of the USDA Agriculture Research Service and George Vance from the UW's Renewable Resources Department.

Contact southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino at (307) 875-5359 or gearino@tribcsp.com.