Estimated Land Available for Carbon Sequestration in the National Highway System

The potential for land managers to generate revenue from biological carbon sequestration through sustainable forestry and replacing traditional ground cover with native grasses was the genesis of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program (CSPP). Federal statutes allow state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to generate revenue from their land holdings. Since DOTs must retain unused buffers in their right-of-way (ROW) for safety, operations, and maintenance purposes, FHWA recognized that an opportunity might exist to shape the future of a burgeoning ecosystem service market. The National Highway System (NHS) is approximately 163,000 miles of roadway consisting of the Interstate Highway System and other roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. The NHS includes only 4% of the nation's roads but carries more than 40% of all highway traffic, 75% of heavy truck traffic, and 90% of tourist traffic. In 2007, approximately 69% of the NHS was classified as being located in rural areas. FHWA developed the CSPP to assess whether a roadside carbon sequestration effort on the NHS through modified maintenance and management practices is appropriate and feasible for DOTs when balanced against the economic and ecological uncertainties. The goals of the pilot were to: (1) Develop estimates of the amount of revenue that DOTs could earn if they undertook such a effort using native vegetation; (2) Determine the cost-effectiveness of a similar effort on a national scale; and, (3) Create decision support tools that DOTs could use to determine the efficacy of programs in their states. This paper addresses the first two purposes, refining a coarse estimate of the unpaved NHS ROW available for carbon sequestration that FHWA had made when establishing the merits of a pilot program. Results from the analysis include more accurate estimates of several variables for each state and for the nation as a whole, including: Total acres of ROW owned in fee simple; Total acres of unpaved ROW; Total acres of paved ROW; Total acres of ROW in woody vegetation; Total acres of ROW in grassland; and Total acres of ROW that could be converted to native woody vegetation. An approximation of the carbon currently sequestered in NHS ROW is also presented. It should be noted that estimates here for the amount of land that could be converted to management for carbon sequestration constitute an upper bound. Net availability will undoubtedly be less, due to considerations for safety, operations, and maintenance. The findings can inform leadership at DOTs that are considering the implications of future climate change legislation and the transportation reauthorization bill or that might independently want to evaluate the cost effectiveness of using highway ROW for carbon sequestration and carbon offset trading.

• Record URL:
  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climate/carbon_sequestration/index.htm
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Highway Administration

  Office of Planning, Environment and Realty, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142
• Authors:
  • Earsom, Stephen
  • Hallett, Robert
  • Perrone, Theresa
  • Poe, Carson
  • Greenfield, Maggie
• Publication Date: 2010-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: v.p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Climate change; Cost effectiveness; Native plants; Revenues; Right of way (Land); State departments of transportation
• Identifier Terms: Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program; National Highway System
• Uncontrolled Terms: Carbon sequestration
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01159572
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 22 2010 4:16PM