Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Forest Resources (MFR)
Department
Forestry and Environmental Conservation
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Thomas O’Halloran
Committee Member
Dr. Marzieh Motallebi
Committee Member
Dr. Siobhan Fennessy
Abstract
As climate change progresses, Nature-based Climate Solutions (NbCS) have emerged as a key strategy for mitigation. Historically, wetlands were drained to increase arable land area, resulting in habitat degradation and soil erosion. To address these issues, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) incentivizes wetland restoration under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), in which landowners retire agricultural land to reestablish native habitat. Although wetlands can act as carbon sinks, they are also sources of methane, a more potent greenhouse gas (GHG). Therefore, the effectiveness of wetlands as a NbCS remains under debate due to assumed high methane emissions. Wetland functions are driven by various abiotic and biotic factors, making them highly variable, illustrating the need for further research. This study examines twelve CRP restored wetlands within a subset of the Glaciated Interior Plains (GIP) to assess the GHG sequestration capacity of wetlands.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of CRP and its evolution. It also introduces the Monitoring, Assessment, and Evaluation Project, which this work is a part of.
Chapter 2 investigates the environmental drivers that influence methane emissions at twelve sites in the Glaciated Interior Plains. Methane fluxes were measured monthly over one growing season using the static chamber method, while dissolved methane from surface water and pore water was measured using the headspace equilibration method. Methane concentrations and fluxes were observed in relation to plant functional type alongside abiotic factors.
Chapter 3 evaluates the value of wetland carbon storage using the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Social Cost of Carbon (SCC). Six meter-deep soil cores were collected from each wetland site, and three meter-deep cores from adjacent agricultural fields were used to assess soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. These samples allow the economic implications of wetland carbon storage to be quantified by assigning a monetary value (SCC) to the environmental benefits of wetlands and the potential costs of converting wetlands back to agricultural use.
Overall, this research aims to provide a deeper understanding of wetlands ecological and economic value. Additionally, we hope to contribute to the evaluation of wetlands viability as an effective NbCS, supporting the continued development and advancement of programs like the Conservation Reserve Program.
Recommended Citation
Kuleba, Annika, "Evaluating Climate Benefits in the Conservation Reserve Program: Methane Emissions and Carbon Storage in Restored Wetlands" (2025). All Theses. 4494.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4494
Author ORCID Identifier
0009-0000-8686-8705