Could burying wood be the solution to combating climate change?

Researchers have discovered an innovative method to tackle climate change: burying wood underground. A 3,775-year-old tree trunk found in Canada has shown that wood can retain its carbon content for thousands of years if buried under the right conditions. This discovery, led by climate scientist Ning Zeng, suggests a cheap, scalable way to store carbon.

The retention of carbon in buried wood

The ancient cedar wood was unexpectedly found during an experiment in Quebec. It remained intact for millennia thanks to the protective layer of clay and oxygen-poor groundwater, which protected it from decomposers such as fungi and bacteria. Radiocarbon dating confirmed that less than five percent of the carbon had been lost in almost 4,000 years.

Burying wood to reduce CO2 emissions

Forests naturally absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, but most of it is released back into the air when trees decompose. This study suggests that burying wood, especially in ideal soil conditions, can reduce the edition of carbon can be slowed down significantly. Zeng’s research estimates that buried wood could capture up to 10 billion tons of CO2 annually – equivalent to more than a quarter of global energy emissions.

A practical and cost-effective solution

The tools required for this method are simple: a tractor and an excavator. In addition, it could use wood that has no commercial use, reducing costs. Although finding suitable locations for burial is a challenge, this low-tech solution can be an effective complement to high-tech carbon capture methods.

Turning the climate crisis around

In essence, this approach is akin to reversing the process of coal formation, in which vegetation that had been buried for millions of years became one of the main contributors to climate change. This simple way of burying wood could play a crucial role in the fight against rising temperatures.