Believe it or not, but there is more than double the amount of carbon stored in the world's soil and vegetation than in its atmosphere. In the UK alone, the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry sectors removed 3.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in 2010. Consequently, farmers have a key role to play in helping "lock up" carbon and mitigate climate change, with their land management practices directly influencing the amount of carbon that's stored.
In recognition of the key role that farmers play in carbon storage and climate change mitigation, the Lake District National Park and the University of Cumbria have produced a booklet about land management and carbon storage. The booklet is designed to not only provide an overview of the science behind land-based carbon storage, but also practical actions farmers can take to improve the ability of their land to sequester and store carbon. A quick and easy way to calculate the tonnage of carbon currently stored on your farm is also included.
Download booklet from the Lake District National Park website
Although the booklet is applicable to a variety of habitats and farming systems, it is important to remember that it was designed in the context of the Lake District National Park. Consequently, some sections (such as "Peatland") will not be relevant to farmers in the High Weald AONB. Having said this, the majority of the booklet is applicable to farms in the High Weald and provides a valuable and accessible introduction to managing your land for carbon storage.