Plants play a crucial role in Earth’s carbon cycle because they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replace it with oxygen that animals and people need to live. Photosynthesis uses the power of the sun to take carbon from the air and store it in the leaves, stems, and roots of plants. When leaves fall and plants die, soil fauna and microorganisms then work to decay this plant matter and store its carbon in the soil as humus.
Image courtesy Anuual Reviews - doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-012320-082720
Deep-rooted perennial plants (trees, bushes, and grasses that grow for many years) are especially sequestering carbon because their large size above and below ground allows them to store a larger amount of carbon for a longer time. These larger root systems also support greater numbers of soil microorganisms which depend on the sugars excreted by plant roots. Growing perennial plants also reduces soil tillage, keeping the soil microbiome healthy and preventing carbon stored in the soil from returning to the atmosphere. And over time, the deep root systems of larger perennial plants will penetrate into the water table, helping to recharge aquifers and making the plant more drought tolerant.
Image courtesy GRID-Arendal - www.grida.no/resources/6219
Planting more deep-rooted perennial plants will make our farms and gardens regenerative and resilient to a changing climate. Hedgerows (large perennial trees planted on the edges of farmland) are one way that farms can provide a large, permanent habitat for soil microbiome and other plant and animal species. And hedgerows can provide pockets of shade and wind breaks on otherwise open and sunny farmland.
Take a look at the smaller plants up front and larger plants in the back. Imagine their root systems as they extend many feet down in the earth, and 10, 20, or even 30 feet out across the top layer of soil. This nearly invisible system is a major key in building resilience to a changing climate.
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