. Carbon storage and accumulation in United States forest ecosystems. Carbon cycle (Biogeochemistry) United States; Plants Effect of carbon on; Trees Climatic factors United States; Forest ecology United States. Pacific Coast States, including Alaska, contain the highest average carbon in forest soils, 64 percent of the total. The lowest proportion of soil carbon is found in the Rocky Mountain States, with 49 percent of the total. Soil carbon is closely related to temperature and precipitation, with higher amounts of soil carbon found in regions with cooler tempera- tures and higher precipitat
. Carbon storage and accumulation in United States forest ecosystems. Carbon cycle (Biogeochemistry) United States; Plants Effect of carbon on; Trees Climatic factors United States; Forest ecology United States. Pacific Coast States, including Alaska, contain the highest average carbon in forest soils, 64 percent of the total. The lowest proportion of soil carbon is found in the Rocky Mountain States, with 49 percent of the total. Soil carbon is closely related to temperature and precipitation, with higher amounts of soil carbon found in regions with cooler tempera- tures and higher precipitation. The cooler temperatures slow the oxidation of soil carbon, while higher rainfall tends to produce more vegetation and thus the fine roots and litter that are the main sources of organic soil carbon. Carbon in the forest floor varies by region in a way similar to carbon in the soil. Western and Northern States contain the most carbon on the forest floor, and Southern States contain the least. There is a clear pattern of increasing forest carbon from Southern to Northern States (fig. 5). The two main factors are climate and average age of the forests. The cooler, wetter climates favor higher retention of carbon on the forest floor and in the soil, and northern forests tend to be older and less frequently disturbed than forests in the South. Carbon Storage by Forest Type There are significant differences in carbon storage among forest types. For example, selected eastern softwood types show large differences in total carbon storage and the relative storage by forest ecosystem component (fig. 6). Loblolly pine plantations are younger on average, so there is less carbon in the trees, and since they are mostly located in the South, the soil carbon is lower. Spruce - fir, common in the Northeast, has higher total carbon as a result of the large amount of carbon stored in the soil. Douglas - fir contains the highest average carbon because of the large quantity stored in the trees.
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