Has Anyone Out There Figured Out the Carbon Footprint from Gasoline Lawn Mowers

Gary,

I'd like references for those reports (lawns as carbon sinks), if you have them to hand. Where can I find them?

Dave

I'd be interested in seeing any reports on lawns as a carbon sink. Compared to deep perennial grasses, or even trees, I'm suspicious, even taking power mowers and synthetic chemicals out of the equation.

Adam

Some have asked about the information I had seen on lawns as a carbon sink. Here is one article http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Lawn/lawn3.html

Gary Fish

Manager, Pesticide Programs
Maine Board of Pesticides Control
28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0028
207-287-7545
207-624-5020 fax
http://www.ThinkFirstSprayLast.org
http://www.YardScaping.org

This strikes me as a pretty sketchy study. Even assuming that the modeling is good, we have no idea how long the 16.7 teragrams (~18.5 megatons) in the theoretical annual lawn sink will last. Is it cumulative each year (unlikely)? For how long? This research doesn't provide much if any evidence to support anything but returning lawns to their natural state, especially deep perennial grasses in the midwest, and for wisely managed food producing purposes where needed.

Adam

I agree. It is just one of the sources I found.

Gary Fish

Manager, Pesticide Programs
Maine Board of Pesticides Control
28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0028
207-287-7545
207-624-5020 fax
http://www.ThinkFirstSprayLast.org
http://www.YardScaping.org