Sequestration can occur in different “carbon pools” in an ecosystem. A carbon pool is a component of the Earth’s climate system that can store, accumulate, or release carbon. These pools include various natural reservoirs, such as oceans, soils, forests, and the atmosphere.  

Collectively, the carbon stored in pools constitutes the carbon stock of the specified ecosystem, representing the total amount of carbon sequestered. This interplay between plants and soil forms a dynamic carbon sink. 

• Soils: The ability of soils to sequester carbon depends on a range of factors, including soil type, fungi, organic matter content, and land management practices. Healthy soils can sequester carbon for centuries, acting as a natural buffer against climate change. Carbon sequestration involves complex interactions between plants, soil, and organisms. 
• Fungi: Fungi play a vital role in carbon sequestration, breaking down organic matter in the soil and storing carbon in their tissues. Mycorrhizal fungi, in particular, form form symbiotic relationships with plants, helping them to absorb nutrients and water from the soil. In exchange, the plants provide the fungi with carbohydrates, which the fungi use to grow and store carbon.69 
• Animals: Animals also contribute to carbon sequestration by consuming plants and storing carbon in their bodies, as well as dispersing seeds needed to spread carbon-sequestering vegetation.70 
• Vegetation: Plants and trees play a continuous role in this cycle, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it within their tissues. 

When trees and plants burn, are eaten, or when land undergoes changes from one cover type to another (such as transitioning from a forest to urban development), a portion of the stored carbon gets released back into the atmosphere. Trees and plants also naturally release some carbon through leaf senescence or other natural losses in biomass. The release of carbon in the atmosphere, often in the form of carbon dioxide, contributes to fluctuations in the ecosystem’s carbon stock. The annual change to the carbon stock is called the carbon flux. The CSA measured carbon flux from trees at Georgia Tech. 

Georgia Tech’s home campus is located within Atlanta’s city limits, meaning the trees on campus contribute to the city’s overall canopy coverage. Trees are both a major feature of Atlanta’s landscape and a primary contributor to biological carbon sequestration on Georgia Tech’s campus. In 2023, Georgia Tech’s campus tree canopy coverage was 22%. It is an important part of the campus design, and plans are in place to continue preserving and expanding it. For example, the 2010 Campus Landscape Plan has a goal to expand canopy coverage to 55% of campus. In addition to beautifying the Tech campus, forests and trees have many co-benefits, including:  

1. Reducing the urban heat island effect. 
2. Reducing stormwater runoff. 
3. Reducing the amount of air pollution. 
4. Supporting biodiversity and pollinators. 
5. Sequestering carbon. 
6. Improving property values. 
7. Improving mental and physical health of surrounding communities.