Carbon Sequestration Study
In the Fall of 2022, BRMC partnered with the Institute for Integrative Conservation at William & Mary to explore the use of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) to protect forested land masses in the Bull Run Mountains Region. This is an ongoing project and will be updated in 2024
BRMR report final (click to open pdf in new window)
Goals
The objective of this ongoing research project is to determine the viability of integrating the carbon market as a successful land management strategy in the Bull Run Mountains region. The approach involves two key perspectives: quantifying the carbon storage within the study area and understanding the values that local landowners place on their land.
The objectives are as follows:
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Summarize landowner perspectives on the intrinsic, monetary, and ecological value of these lands.
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Summarize the landowner's existing knowledge of the carbon market
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Identify deforestation hotspots by creating land cover change maps using ArcGIS pro.
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Measure the carbon sequestration value of the forest within the study area by parcels, and convert it into a relative monetary value
Methods
1. Landowner Interviews
Five interviews were conducted with landowners in the region to learn more about the landowner's preferences for land use, existing knowledge of the carbon market, and willingness to explore options within it.
2. Deforestation Hotspots and Carbon Storage
Using publicly available databases from the United States Geological Survey
the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory, and Analysis (FIA) programs; the researchers were able to assess the deforestation rates and carbon storage capacities.
3. Integrating local land management strategies and zoning plans to assess areas of development and potential expansion.
Study area which encompasses about 66,700 acres
Comparison between landcover for 2001 and 2021
Results
The results of the interviews concluded that the landowner's primary value of their land was to maintain its natural beauty. Many of the landowners had part of their land in conservation easements while being open to the idea of furthering their easements in the future. As for the analysis, The Total Easement, covering 10,005.2 hectares, constitutes 37% of the study area and holds 393,211.1 metric tons (MT) of carbon, representing 39.82% of the total carbon storage, with a forest density of 48%. In contrast, Total Conservation Lands, though only encompassing 1,124.7 hectares (4% of the area), is significant for its high forest density of 95%. It stores 71,483.5 MT
of carbon, accounting for 7.24% of the total carbon, highlighting its disproportionately high carbon density. This illustrates how even smaller areas can play a critical role in carbon sequestration.