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The value of the North American lawn |
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Enhancing and protecting the environment
Lawns protect and significantly improve our natural resources including the soil, water and the air. The many ways in which lawns protect and enhance the earth's natural resources are described below.
Lawns mitigate global warming by capturing carbon dioxide
Lawns have significant mitigating effect on global warming due to their tremendous capacity to sequester (store) atmospheric carbon. In fact, a recent report from Colorado indicates that carbon sequestration in turf soil occurs at a rate comparable to the land that is placed in the Conservation Reserve Program in the USA (Qian and Follett, 2002). In this report, the scientists analyzed historic soil data from many turfgrass sites. The data show that carbon sequestration continued for up to 31 years in golf course fairways after their initial establishment.
Well maintained lawns capture more carbon dioxide than the poorly maintained lawns with bare ground patches. Plants capture atmospheric carbon dioxide to make their food (carbohydrates) with the help of the sunlight. These carbohydrates are stored in plant tissues including leaves, stems, and roots. This carbon along with nitrogen (in the form of proteins) stored in plant parts serves as the main source of food for numerous soil microorganisms and invertebrates that perform important functions such as nutrient release for plant growth and fighting plant diseases. To a considerable extent, returning the grass clippings to the soil actually reduces the amount of fertilizer needed for the lawn.
Capturing excess carbon dioxide from the air is one of the main arguments used for saving the tropical "rain forest". The homeowners, sports turf mangers, and commercial turfgrass area owners with well-maintained lawns are contributing their share to the reduction in global warming by capturing and storing the excess carbon dioxide from the environment into the soil.
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