More than 13 MHa of non-federal land in the southeastern United States are devoted to pastureland. Between 1982 and 1992, pastureland increased by 100,000 ha, with nearly 70% converted from cultivated land. We examined the potential for C sequestration with improved pasture management and conversion into pastureland from cultivated land. Improved pasture management techniques, such as intensive grazing, fertilization, introduction of improved grass and legume species, and better irrigation systems can lead to sequestration of atmospheric C in soil. Literature values for the influence of changes in pasture management on soil C were summarized for several potential management changes in the Southeast. Soil C sequestration estimates for the Southeast were based on current pasture management practices and were evaluated for a range of different adoption rates of improved practices. Conversion into pasture can also potentially sequester significant amounts of atmospheric C in soils. Landuse data from the National Resources Inventory and literature estimates of soil C changes following conversion to pasture were used to estimate historical (1982-1992) soil C sequestration in pastures. Potential future sequestration was estimated based on extrapolation of landuse trends between 1982-1992. With continued conversion into pasture and improvement of pasture management, southeastern U.S. pasture soils may be a significant C sink for several years.
