Wetlands, Riparian and carbon sequestration projects ohh my!

So I just had to provide a little update on my work schedule. I usually post pictures of cute burrowing owls or bluebirds that are part of some project I am working on but these items are much bigger!

Projects:

1. Wetlands, grassland, and riparian restoration project: I received a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's "Partners for Fish & Wildlife" program. The idea behind this grant is to support projects that involve land owners, community members as well as USFWS personnel. To this end I am working with 3 Boy Scouts who are going to use part of this restoration for their Eagle Scout projects. We will be enhancing wetlands, restoring riparian trees and restoring native grasslands on 27 acres of land as well as improving grazing management on another 64acres of the Preserve which total 426 acres. See pictures below of pre-enhancement sites.
2. Riparian Restoration Project: We received a very large In-Lieu Fee grant from another organization (I cannot release the details yet) that will go towards the complete restoration of riparian habitat as well as a small section of oak savannah/grasslands. We will be planting native willows and cottonwood trees as well as a valley oak trees. Besides offering critical habitat for various protected bird species, this area will help improve water quality in the small stream that runs though the Preserve. This water is mainly comprised of agricultural runoff.
3. Oak Woodland Carbon Sequestration Project: We received a grant to being an innovative carbon sequestration assessment for oak woodlands. While estimates for carbon sequestration in oaks have been performed, we will be cruising oak woodlands that comprise our largest Preserve totaling 1,700acres (directly adjacent to our other Preserves totaling another 2,000 acres) and collecting critical data on oak tree population density, heights, diameters etc.. These data can then be fed into models that will provide more robust estimates of the carbon sequestration capacity of these oak woodlands. There has never been a project like this before so this is a cutting edge project which could assist private land owners in land management decisions and provide extra income should their land provide enough carbon sequestration capacity to allow the land owner to participate in the carbon credits market.

 

LOL. Other than the carbon project, the rest of the Preserves have parking alongside a PAVED road. No more almost getting stuck on the wrong side of the hill, my friend.

 

Austigreen,

First, thank you.

We have already preserved the property so not tree farming will take place but we will conduct fuel load assessments periodically and cut down or thin trees to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and to protect rural neighbors.

We just want to be ahead of the game with regards to carbon credits. Any credits sold helps fund management, restoration and land acquisitions. I'm not sure how I feel about the carbon market but if it will help fund our work then so be it.

 

There has never really been any detailed work on oak woodland sequestration. There has been plenty done on conifers and in the rain forest but we've only taken a stab at oak woodlands. Because oaks grow slowly but are long lived this could be interesting. We will be required to submit a monitoring report every ten years as well.

I'm not sure yet but as soon as I find out I'll let you know and get measurements if you like. I believe work will begin this month and will be completed by December.

We will not be allowed to include dead wood in the calculations for sequestration but they will be noted. I'm not sure if they will be using those data to work as a negative against sequestration or not.

There is a lot of soil work going on in the area but I'm not sure how much of it is focused on oak woodlands vs. grasslands. I'll ask Valerie Eviner (UC Davis) when I see her at the ecosystem services workshop this month at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center (SFREC).

Thanks! Most of the rocks on this Preserve are basaltic to andesitic in nature. I've attached a geologic overview of the site.

I'll talk to the guy heading up this project and let you know. I'm also a stones throw from UC Davis so access to some of the scientists there should be pretty easy.

 

Definitely. Although this (carbon project) project would require dedicated volunteerism over a couple of months. If you are interested in helping on one of the other projects which doesn't require as much of a commitment I have plenty of other projects I am working on.