Carbon Sequestration Project
The City of Boise owns nearly 6,000 acres of open space reserves and they are managed for wildlife habitat, ecosystems services and recreational access. One of the most important ecosystem services provided by open space is the ability of the land to store carbon in the plants and soil by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration of open space reserves potentially store significant amounts of carbon in plants and soils, but the quantitative value of this carbon remains unknown.
This project aims to quantify below-ground carbon sequestration in open space reserves. The resulting carbon storage map will allow the City of Boise to quantify preservation efforts based on carbon sequestration, guide future acquisitions efforts, and target restoration projects to increase carbon storage where feasible.