Ron Follett of the Soil-Plant-Nutrient Research Unit of the ARS at Fort Collins, Colorado, and Yaling Qian  of Colorado State University, have found that around a ton of carbon per acre per year is stored in the soil of golf courses, lawns and grassland serving as an important "sink" for storing carbon dioxide in the soil. In this process, some of the CO2 from the atmosphere is captured by plant photosynthesis and trapped in the soil, helping mitigate the greenhouse effect. The scientists studied 16 soil records from golf courses in the Denver area, some of which go back 45 years. They found that carbon sequestration lasts for up to 31 years in fairways and 45 years in greens, after which the rates slow or become negligible. The reason for this change is under investigation. For more information contact the ARS (Agricultural Research Service) and see the June issue of its publication "Agricultural Research". "FlowerTech"  Agricultural Research Service (ARS) www.agriworld.nl  www.ars.usda.gov