Carbon storage in soil and vegetation in paired roadside sites in the box woodlands of eastern Australia

The carbon content of soils and vegetation on roadside reserves was compared with carbon in adjacent paddocks along a 700 km transect through the box woodlands of eastern Australia. Biomass of the overstorey and understorey components of the vegetation was estimated at each site, and soil samples were collected for assessment of soil carbon. Total soil carbon in the surface 30 mm was not significantly different between paired sites, but significantly more carbon was stored in the aboveground components of the vegetation in the roadside reserves. In general, healthier and more diverse sites with more dense shrub and tree cover were associated with greater aboveground carbon and, to a lesser extent, soil carbon. These results suggest that, from a 'Kyoto' perspective, more attention should be given to retaining native vegetation and maintaining its condition in these landscapes of Australia.