Temperate food forest soil and dead organic matter carbon content relative to adjacent land

Abstract

Abstract Soil is identified as the terrestrial carbon (C) pool with the highest potential for C sequestration. This study therefore examined the soil organic carbon (SOC) under four different but adjacent land‐use systems in the temperate climate zone: a food forest, redwood forest, pasture land and agricultural field in Dartington, UK. Soil samples were collected at 0‐ to 20‐cm and 20‐ to 40‐cm depth at all four sites. Two soil fractionation methodologies were applied as well as analysis for C content. Additionally, carbon content from dead organic matter (DOM) was estimated from the woody and non‐woody litter in the food forest and redwood forest. Similar total SOC was found between all four systems. However, due to the difference in turnover rates of C in different soil fractions, the food forest soil exhibited a similar long‐term storage of C as the redwood forest, while pasture land and agricultural field stored less C in the long term. The redwood forest exhibited a higher non‐woody litter C content than the food forest, but similar amounts of coarse and fine woody litter.