Mapping drainage patterns and carbon stocks of boreal forest soils in northern Manitoba

Boreal. forests are postulated to be large net carbon sinks and probably play an important role in global carbon budgets. Most of the carbon of boreal forest ecosystems is stored in the soil, including the moss layer. Using a geographic information system (GIS) we are mapping drainage patterns and carbon stocks at the BOREAS(3) study area in northern Manitoba. Our method accounts for spatial variations within soil map units by calculating are-a-weighted total carbon stocks and drainage scores for each soil series. We stratified the area by drainage class, which, along with incidence of fire, is a major controller of annual rates of soil carbon accumulation. Our results indicate that soil carbon stocks covary with soil drainage class. The largest carbon stocks occur in the wettest and more poorly drained sites