Will burying dead trees after a wildfire keep their carbon locked up?

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on New Scientist or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: A U.S. start-up is experimenting with burying partially burnt trees after wildfires rather than burning them
• Traditional methods of clearing fire-killed trees release large amounts of CO₂, but burial could potentially lock the carbon underground for centuries
• The pilot in Montana follows the 2021 Poverty Flats wildfire, which killed 50,000 trees and would have emitted roughly 7,000 tonnes of CO₂ if burned

🔭 The context: Wildfires are increasingly frequent and severe due to climate change, creating massive carbon emissions when affected trees are burned
• Current forestry practices prioritize safety and fuel reduction, but alternative carbon management strategies are being tested to mitigate the climate impact of post-fire timber

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Burying wildfire-killed trees could prevent substantial CO₂ emissions from entering the atmosphere, potentially turning wildfire aftermaths into long-term carbon sinks
• If scaled, this approach could become a climate mitigation strategy in fire-prone forests, reducing net greenhouse gas contributions from increasingly common wildfires

⏭️ What’s next: The start-up plans to expand testing and monitor long-term carbon retention underground
• Research will be needed to determine decomposition rates, soil impacts, and scalability across various forest types and wildfire conditions

💬 One quote: “These trees, if left to burn, release carbon almost immediately. Burying them could be a game changer for forest carbon management.” — Alec Luhn, environmental journalist

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