We began by analyzing data from satellite imagery to systematically estimate the amount of carbon that could be sequestered by recovery of native ecosystems on each parcel of US cattle-pasture land.  Based on that analysis, we chose and purchased a 1,060 acre working cattle ranch in Southwest Arkansas as our first Carbon Ranch, using seed money from the Impossible Foundation.  The ranch is a reasonable model for the more than 200,000 cattle ranches and farms in the Southeast US, with a total area of more than 40 million acres, characterized by historically forested land, abundant precipitation, a long growing season and high primary productivity. 

Most of the ranch had been grazed and mowed to produce hay through 2022. The site is traversed by two branches of the Terre Rouge Creek bordered by narrow stretches of remnant forest, and several smaller seasonal creeks and wetlands. Neighboring sites include active cattle ranches, loblolly pine plantations and small patches of hardwood forest.

In January of 2024 we launched our restoration experiment, dividing the property into 30 experimental zones based on geological, ecological and functional characteristics. To each sector we assigned one of three high-level restoration strategies (each in various permutations):

●      Unassisted regrowth (red). No trees were planted in these areas. We are observing how the vegetation and wildlife develop, and whether and to what extent the native ecosystem can recover without intervention.

●      Planting a fast-growing native pine as a pioneer species (blue and purple). These areas were planted with seedlings of loblolly pine, the preferred tree species in the local forestry industry. We expect this strategy to yield the fastest initial rate of carbon sequestration, while potentially creating an environment conducive to eventual recovery of a diverse mixed-species forest.

●      Hardwood forests (orange and yellow). These areas were planted with a mix of 26 species of hardwood trees native to the area in proportions that approximate their relative abundance in local native forests.