THE POTENTIAL FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION ON DEGRADED LANDS WITHIN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA 1

Terrestrial carbon sequestration, using land management adjustments to increase soil carbon levels within degraded lands, has been advocated as a practical and immediate approach for carbon mitigation. Carbon sequestration and credit programs have recently been established within north central Montana; carbon storage potential within this region, however, had not been assessed previously. This study consisted of a two-part approach. A combination of satellite-image analyses and field survey was first used to obtain regional land use data. Literature-based carbon rate data were then applied to the land use data to generate a regional estimate of carbon sequestration potential given specific land use adjustments. An object-oriented approach was used in conjunction with the Random Forest algorithm to classify agricultural practices set forth in carbon contract agreements associated with the Chicago Climate Exchange and included tillage type, vegetation intensity, and conservation reserve practices. Random Forest is an advanced classification algorithm that avoids data over-fitting and incorporates an internal accuracy assessment. An object-oriented approach allowed for per-field classifications and the incorporation of contextual elements such as shape, texture, area, and neighborhood relationships in addition to spectral features. Landsat satellite imagery was chosen for its continuous coverage, cost effectiveness, and image accessibility. Results from this study found that in most cases satellite image analysis allowed for an effective way to classify land use types within the region. Results from this study estimated that approximately 77,049 t organic carbon yr -1 might be sequestered through the universal adoption of no-till management and the maintaining of land currently under grassland- based conservation reserve. Land use analyses via satellite monitoring and carbon sequestration efforts illustrated within this study can easily be applied to many types of situations involving degraded lands, included mined lands, and need not be restricted to an agricultural setting.