Retooling the Exurbs for Global Warming

"Development in the exurbs - those places a few freeway exits past the suburbs, generally on larger acreage and not served by urban water, sewer and gas lines - became widespread in the last part of the 20th century.

And surprisingly, what happens in the course of that development has been a release of carbon that rival emissions from fossil fuels, said Dan Brown, the project's lead researcher and a professor at U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment.

'What we're aiming for is more carbon sequestration,' he said, or keeping property more wooded with more deeply rooted plants and native flowers and grasses."