Examining climate benefits from rangeland and pasture management practices in the United States: opportunities, tradeoffs, and information gaps

Grazing lands in the United States are the foundation of a $140 billion ruminant livestock production industry in the United States (U.S.) and management of these range and pasture lands holds strong support from government programs. This paper reviews current published literature to identify which land management practices have beneficial ecosystem and climate outcomes for carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas drawdown. We examined practices defined by the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide an assessment for conservation planners and ranchers in the U.S., while noting that the application of these practices can vary across landscapes. Data needs are extensive and outcomes for some management practices are mixed, but practices including wetland restoration and pasture and hay planting have clear climate benefits and should be incentivized.

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Publication Details

Journal
npj Sustainable Agriculture
Published
2025-12-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-025-00105-w
Primary Topic
Rangeland and Wildlife Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Examining climate benefits from rangeland and pasture management practices in the United States: opportunities, tradeoffs, and information gaps

Samuel Willard, Kristin B. Hulvey, Jocelyn M. Lavallee, Jennifer D. Watts et al.
npj Sustainable Agriculture
Rangeland and Wildlife Management
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Examining climate benefits from rangeland and pasture management practices in the United States: opportunities, tradeoffs, and information gaps

Samuel Willard, Kristin B. Hulvey, Jocelyn M. Lavallee, Jennifer D. Watts, Sasha Gennet, Megan K. Nasto, Eugene J. Feldman, Corrine Nöel Knapp, T. Michael Anderson, John P. Ritten, Mark Jacobs
article en

Abstract

Grazing lands in the United States are the foundation of a $140 billion ruminant livestock production industry in the United States (U.S.) and management of these range and pasture lands holds strong support from government programs. This paper reviews current published literature to identify which land management practices have beneficial ecosystem and climate outcomes for carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas drawdown. We examined practices defined by the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide an assessment for conservation planners and ranchers in the U.S., while noting that the application of these practices can vary across landscapes. Data needs are extensive and outcomes for some management practices are mixed, but practices including wetland restoration and pasture and hay planting have clear climate benefits and should be incentivized.

npj Sustainable AgricultureVol. 3(1)
Meridian Institute (US), The Nature Conservancy (US), University of Wyoming (US), Environmental Defense Fund (US), Woodwell Climate Research Center (US), University of Pennsylvania (US), Colorado State University (US)
Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, University of Pennsylvania
Openalex Percentile: Top 63%
Rangeland and Wildlife Management
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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