The following definitions constitute a starting
point for discussions on topics related to Air Quality and Conservation.
These definitions are generally accepted by NRCS (M.440.502.A.00)
and the scientific community. A more extensive glossary relating to
greenhouse gases and carbon sequestration is available at the
U.S. Dept. of Energy
Planting of new forests on lands that have not been recently forested.
Aggregator
An aggregator is an entity, such as a trade association, that submits a report on behalf of multiple nonreporting
entities. The aggregator must follow the reporting rules that would apply to the non-reporting
entities if they had themselves reported. Aggregators should follow the procedures applicable to reporting
offset reductions obtained by agreement with a non-reporter.
Agricultural Land
Agricultural land is land that is arable and regularly tilled for the production of annual field crops, with or without irrigation or managed for grazing of livestock. The word agriculture refers to a broad class of resource uses that includes all forms of land use for the production of crops, whether grazing/range or plants. In its broadest sense, agricultural land includes all land that provides direct benefits for mankind through the production of food, fiber, forage and fodder.
Agroforestry
Agroforestry intentionally combines agriculture and forestry to create integrated and sustainable land-use systems.
Agroforestry takes advantage of the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock. Because it emphasizes the use of woody and perennial crops and biological fertilizers, it may
provide agricultural products with less intensive energy uses and sequester more carbon than
traditional agriculture. Agroforestry activities are made up of a wide range of interdependent
actions. In the face of the difficulties with estimating individual agroforestry activity effects, a
more credible report may result if the analysis is limited to the most certain of the effects, such as
carbon capture and release by trees and soils. Agroforestry practices include: Alley Cropping, Forest Farming, Riparian Forest Buffers, Silvopasture, Windbreaks, and Special Applications.
Alley Cropping
In an alley cropping system, an agricultural crop is grown in the alleys between rows of trees The agricultural crop provides for an annual income while the trees produce a long-term income. Fine hardwoodslike walnut, oak, ash, and pecan are favored species in alley cropping systems and are managed for high-value lumber or veneer logs. Nut crops can be another intermediate tree product.
The Base Period is a period of time from one to four years in length, against which emission reductions
are estimated. This period is used to determine the average annual base emissions, emissions intensity,
and other values from which emission reductions are calculated.
Baseline period
The years 1987 through 1990 for which entity-level emissions may be reported.
BioFuel
Liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass (plant) feedstocks, used primarily for transportation.
Biomass
The total amount of living plants above and below ground in an area at a given time.
A reservoir that absorbs or takes up released carbon from another part of the carbon cycle. The four sinks, which are regions of the
Earth within which carbon behaves in a systematic manner, are the atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere (usually including freshwater systems),
oceans, and sediments (including fossil fuels).
Carbon Sequestration
The fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide in a carbon sink through biological or physical processes. Sequestering carbon removes
CO2 from the atmosphere. The COMET-VR tool addresses only atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestered as organic carbon in soils.
Anthropogenic releases of gases to the atmosphere. In the context of global climate change,
they consist of radiatively important greenhouse gases (e.g., the release of carbon dioxide during fuel combustion).
For the purposes of the Voluntary Reporting Program, an individual
or organization that is a legal U.S. person (e.g., a U.S. citizen, resident
alien, company, organization, or group incorporated under or recognized by
U.S. law; or a Federal, State, or local government agency).
An entity is located, at least in part, in the United States; and has operations that affect U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases.
Entity boundary
Conceptually, a line drawn to encompass the emissions sources and sinks to be evaluated in an entity-level report.
An entity boundary should include all the emissions sources and sinks owned (wholly or in part) or leased by the entity and,
to the extent possible, other emissions sources and sinks affected by the entity’s activities. For Agriculture or Forestry,
the entity boundary is the extent of all the parcels owned or leased by the entity.
Forest farming is the cultivation of high-value specialty crops under the protection of a forest canopy that has been modified to provide the correct shade level. Crops like ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, and decorative ferns are sold for medicinal, culinary, and ornamental uses. Forest farming provides income while high-quality trees are being grown for wood products.
Grazing is the regular consumption of part of one organism without killing it by another organism.
The most commonly understood example of grazing is mammals feeding on grasslands.
Grazing: Low to Moderate Grazing System
A system that does not alternate between resting and grazing.
• Low grazing intensity,
• Long grazing duration,
• Long grazing frequency.
Grazing: Intensive Grazing System
A system that alternates between resting and grazing two or more grazing
units in a planned sequence that takes several factors
into consideration, including the rate of plant growth,
level of vegetative cover, needs of the grazing animal,
and other environmental inputs.
• High grazing intensity,
• Short grazing duration,
• High to Low grazing frequency.
Greenhouse Gas
A gas in the atmosphere which prevents heat (longwave infrared radiation)
from being radiated into space. The net effect of trapping radiation is a
tendency to warm the planet’s surface. The COMET-VR tool addresses only
carbon dioxide (CO2).
A hydric soil is a soil that developed under moderate to poor drainage
conditions. For more information, see the discussion of hydric soils at the
USDA's Natural
Resources Conservation Service.
A
MLRA is a geographic area, usually several thousand acres in extent, that
is characterized by a particular pattern of soils, climate, water resources,
land uses, and type of farming.
A reduction is a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.
Reporter
An entity (see definition above) completing either Form EIA-1605 or Form EIA-1605EZ and submitting it to the Energy Information Administration.
Riparian Forest Buffers
Trees, shrubs, and grasses in riparian
zones (those lands adjacent to
streams, ponds, and wetlands) buffer
water bodies from negative impacts
from adjacent agricultural lands.
Natural or re-established streamside
forests provide ecological functions
and reduce non-point source pollution
of waterways, reduce bank erosion,
and increase biodiversity.
Sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide (CO2) is removed from the atmosphere, wither
through biologic or physical processes and stored long-term without re-emission
back to the atmosphere.
Silvopasture
Silvopasture systems combine trees
with forage and livestock production.
In conifer stands the trees are managed
for long-term, high-value sawlogs,
while the understory is managed for
forage production to support livestock
grazing. In Christmas tree plantations,
carefully managed grazing provides an
alternative to mowing. Some nut and
fruit orchards may also be grazed.
Soil Texture
A soil's texture describes the percentages of sand, silt, clay, and gravel
in a soil. For more information, see the soil texture triangle at the
Soil Science
Society of America's Glossary.
clay - Soil material that contains 40% or more clay, <45% sand, and <40%
silt.
clay loam - Soil material that contains 27 to 40% clay and 20 to 45%
sand.
loam - Soil material that contains 7 to 27% clay, 28 to 50% silt, and
<52% sand.
loamy sand - Soil material that contains between 70 and 91% sand and the
percentage of silt plus 1.5 times the percentage of clay is 15 or more; and
the percentage of silt plus twice the percentage of clay is less than 30.
loamy coarse sand - Soil material that contains 25% or more very coarse
and coarse sand, and <50% any other one grade of sand.
loamy sand - Soil material that contains 25% or more very coarse,
coarse, and medium sand, <25% very coarse and coarse sand, and <50% fine or
very fine sand.
loamy fine sand - Soil material that contains 50% or more fine
sand (or) <25% very coarse, coarse, and medium sand and <50% very fine sand.
loamy very fine sand - Soil material that contains 50% or more very fine
sand.
sand - Soil material that contains 85% or more of sand; percentage of
silt, plus 1.5 times the percentage of clay, shall not exceed 15.
coarse sand - Soil material that contains 25% or more very coarse and
coarse sand, and <50% any other one grade of sand.
sand - Soil material that contains 25% or more very coarse,
coarse, and medium sand, <25% very coarse and coarse sand, and <50% fine or
very fine sand.
fine sand - Soil material that contains 50% or more fine sand (or) <25%
very coarse, coarse, and medium sand and <50% very fine sand.
very fine sand - Soil material that contains 50% or more very fine sand.
sandy clay - Soil material that contains 35% or more clay and 45%
or more sand.
sandy clay loam - Soil material that contains 20 to 35% clay,
<28% silt, and >45% sand.
sandy loam - Soil material that contains 7 to 20% clay, more than
52% sand, and the percentage of silt plus twice the percentage of clay is 30
or more; or less than 7% clay, less than 50% silt, and more than 43% sand.
coarse sandy 1oam - Soil material that contains 25% or more very
coarse and coarse sand and <50% any other one grade of sand.
sandy loam - Soil material that contains 30% or more very coarse,
coarse, and medium sand, but <25% very coarse and coarse sand, and <30% very
fine or fine sand, or <15% very coarse, coarse, and medium sand and <30%
either fine sand or very fine sand and 40% or less fine plus very fine sand.
fine sandy loam - Soil material that contains 30% or more fine
sand and <30% very fine sand (or) between 15 and 30% very coarse, coarse,
and medium sand, or >40% fine and very fine sand, at least half of which is
fine sand, and <15% very coarse, coarse, and medium sand.
very fine sandy loam - Soil material that contains 30% or more
very fine sand and <15% very coarse, coarse, and medium sand (or) >40% fine
and very fine sand, more than half of which is very fine sand and <15% very
coarse, coarse, and medium sand.
silt - Soil material that contains 80% or more silt and <12%
clay.
silty clay - Soil material that contains 40% or more clay and 40%
or more silt.
silty clay loam - Soil material that contains 27 to 40% clay and
<20% sand.
silt loam - Soil material that contains 50% or more silt and 12
to 27% clay (or) 50 to 80% silt and <12% clay.
Soil Texture Triangle
A soil texture triangle is used to classify the texture class of a soil. The sides of the soil texture triangle are scaled for the percentages
of sand, silt, and clay. Clay percentages are read from left to right across the triangle (dashed lines). Silt is read from the upper right to
lower left (light, dotted lines). Sand from lower right towards the upper left portion of the triangle (bold, solid lines). The boundaries of the
soil texture classes are highlighted in blue. The intersection of the three sizes on the triangle give the texture class. For instance, if you
have a soil with 20% clay, 60% silt, and 20% sand it falls in the "silt loam" class.
Start Year
The Start Year is the year upon which the initial entity statement is based and must be the year
immediately preceding the first year for which the entity intends to report reductions. It is the last year of
the Base Period and can be no earlier than 2002 for registered reductions. Entities registering reductions
and participating in the Climate Leaders or Climate VISION programs may use a Base Period that ends
no earlier than 2000 if it corresponds to the base period it has established under either of those programs.
For an entity that intends to report but not register reductions, the Start Year may be no earlier than 1990.
All entities are required to file a separate Form EIA-1605 report for the Start Year. The Start Year report
may only contain inventory data, not reductions.
The mechanical manipulation of the soil profile for any purpose; but in agriculture it is usually restricted to modifying soil conditions and/or managing crop residues and/or weeds and/or incorporating chemicals for crop production.
conservation tillage - Any tillage sequence, the object of which is to minimize or reduce loss of soil and water; operationally, a tillage or tillage and planting combination which leaves a 30% or greater cover of crop residue on the surface.
conventional tillage - Primary and secondary tillage operations normally performed in preparing a seedbed and/or cultivating for a given crop grown in a given geographical area, usually resulting in <30% cover of crop residues remaining on the surface after completion of the tillage sequence.
crop residue management - Disposition of stubble, stalks, and other crop residues by
tillage, burning, or removal operations. (i) To remove residues from the soil surface (burying); (ii) To anchor residues partially in the surface soil while leaving the residues partially exposed at the surface (mulch tillage); (iii) To leave residues entirely at the soil surface intact or cut into smaller pieces. (Residues may be removed by nontillage methods, i.e., harvesting, burning, grazing, etc.)
crop residue management system - A combination of
practices, desinged to compliment one another, which maintains stubble, stalks, and other crop residue on the
soil surface to prevent wind and water erosion, to conserve water, and to decrease evaporation.
cultivation - Shallow tillage operations performed to create soil conditions conducive to improved aeration, infiltration, and water conservation, or to control weeds.
fallow - The practice of leaving land either uncropped and weed-free, or with volunteer vegetation during at least one period when a crop would normally be grown; objective may be to control weeds, accumulate water, and/or available plant nutrients.
fallow, chemical (eco-fallow) - A special case of fallowing in which all vegetative growth is killed or prevented by use of chemicals; tillage for other purposes may or may not be used.
fallow, summer - The prevention of all vegetative growth by shallow tillage in conjunction with or without herbicides during the summer months, in place of growing a crop, in order to store water for use by the next crop, or to control weed infestations.
minimum tillage - The minimum use of primary and/or secondary tillage necessary for meeting crop production requirements under the existing soil and climatic conditions, usually resulting in fewer tillage operations than for conventional tillage.
mulch tillage - Tillage or preparation of the soil in such a way that plant residues or other materials are left to cover the surface; also, mulch farming, trash farming, stubble mulch tillage, plowless farming; operationally, a full-width tillage or tillage and planting combination that leaves >30% of the surface covered with crop residue.
no-tillage (zero tillage) system - A procedure whereby a crop is planted directly into the soil with no primary or secondary tillage since harvest of the previous crop; usually a special planter is necessary to prepare a narrow, shallow seedbed immediately surrounding the seed being planted. No-till is sometimes practiced in combination with subsoiling to facilitate seeding and early root growth, whereby the surface residue is left virtually undisturbed except for a small slot in the path of the subsoil shank.
emergence tillage - Tillage operations which occur before (after) crop emergence.
harvest tillage - Tillage operations which occur before (after) crop harvest.
planting tillage - Tillage operations which occur before (after) the crop is planted.
primary tillage - Tillage at any time which constitutes the initial, major soil manipulation operation. It is normally a broadcast operation designed to loosen the soil or reduce soil strength, anchor or bury plant materials and fertilizers, and rearrange aggregates.
reduced tillage - A tillage system in which the total number of tillage operations preparatory for seed planting is reduced from that normally used on that particular field or soil. See also tillage, minimum tillage.
secondary tillage - Any of a group of separate or distinct tillage operations, following primary tillage, that is designed to provide specific soil conditions for any reason, such as seeding.
soil management - The combination of all tillage operations, cropping practices, fertilizer, lime, and other treatments conducted on or applied to the soil for the production of plants.
subsurface tillage - Tillage which confines most of its action (usually only fracturing and shattering) to depths below the normal depth of disc cultivation.
surface tillage - Cultivating or mixing the soil to a shallow depth.
tillage action - The specific form or forms of soil manipulation performed by the application of mechanical forces to the soil with a tillage tool, such as cutting, shattering, inversion, or mixing.
tillage, deep - A primary tillage operation which manipulates soil to a greater depth than normal plowing. It may be accomplished with a large heavy-duty moldboard or disk plow which inverts the soil, or with a heavy-duty chisel plow which shatters soil. See also tillage, subsoiling.
tillage equipment (tools) - Field tools and machinery which are designed to lift, invert, stir, or pack soil, reduce the size of clods or uproot weeds, i.e., plows, harrows, disks, cultivators, and rollers.
tillage operation - Act of applying one or more tillage actions in a distinct mechanical application of force to all or part of the soil mass.
Windbreaks are rows of vegetation used
to reduce and redirect wind. Field windbreaks
improve crop yields and wateruse
efficiency, and reduce wind erosion.
Livestock windbreaks help reduce climate
stress on animals, feed consumption,
and visual impacts. Farmstead
windbreaks enhance living and working
environments, add value to your home,
and help conserve energy. Living
snowfences keep roads clear of drifting
snow and increase driving safety.
