Grassland carbon capture helps fight climate change
MCKENZIE, N.D. (KFYR) — A powerful solution to climate change might be right under our feet.
Lewis Heaton operates Heaton Ranches in McKenzie. He’s recognized for his dedication to conservation and regenerative strategies on working lands.
“When I see the greenness and all the diversity and the plants and the health of the soil and the actual growth you see, it’s really pretty,” said Heaton.
Healthy, well-managed grasslands can store more carbon underground for longer than most croplands, making them one of nature’s most reliable tools for fighting climate change. Unlike cropland, grassland ecosystems store carbon primarily underground in roots and soil organic matter, offering a potentially underappreciated place to store carbon.
“Grasslands have a lot of natural value, not just for grazing cattle but for wildlife, you know, your birds, your water infiltration, soil erosion. They play a really important role in our society,” said Heaton.
Early findings from the two-year study on Heaton’s ranch show that grazed pastures can sequester more carbon than ungrazed ones—cattle stimulate regrowth that pulls additional carbon from the atmosphere.
Rebecca Phillips is a research scientist and the executive director of Ecological Insights. She said that while a lot of grassland is being converted to cropland, it should be preserved. Heaton sought her help when he was interested in measuring carbon on his ranch.
“Creating a grassland like this once it’s been lost is a generational endeavor. It’s extremely hard to do,” said Phillips.
She said that North Dakota, at the moment, has a lot of grasslands, and further study will be done to better understand the costs and benefits.
For Heaton, his livelihood is not just about the cattle; it’s about keeping these rolling prairies thriving so the next generation can see the same green fields he does today. Phillips said that well-managed grasslands can be more effective at removing atmospheric CO2 than forests.
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