Every year, the world's trees emit 10.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide

Munich, September 21, 2021, Tuesday

Trees and forests are the largest natural pumps on earth absorbing carbon dioxide. Which purifies the impure air and gives oxygen. The importance of forests, which play an important role in climate protection, is well known, but it would be surprising to know that in the global carbon cycle, the remains of decaying and dead trees emit approximately 10.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. Recycling of residues and nutrients in forests is a big problem. The role of insects is very important in the process of extracting carbon from the remains of rotten trees around the world. A study by the Bavarian Forest National Park on this is understandable.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Julius Maximilian of the University of Wજબzburg and the Technical University of Munich. In this cage the insects were prevented from getting involved in the decomposition. The purpose was to find out his contribution to wood rot. The data collected showed that decomposition depends on the contribution of insects and climate. As the temperature rises, so does its proportion. The experiment was conducted for three years by 20 research groups from around the world in extremely difficult conditions. Some forest areas were surrounded by elephants and there was a problem of fire. Some forest areas were also flooded.

Rupert Siddle, a professor of forest management at the University of Munich, says the experiment sheds light on the role of dead trees in the carbon cycle around the world. Every year, decaying trees release about 10.5 gigatonnes of carbon. In this regard, one part of the carbon cycle is absorbed into the soil while the other part is absorbed into the atmosphere. Emissions from the remains of dead trees account for 114% of emissions from fossil fuels. This process is especially prevalent in tropical forest areas. In temperate forests this decay process is slow. Approximately one-third of the larvae are decomposed by food eaten by insects. However, wood rot by insects is more prevalent in the tropics. Carbon and nutrient cycles run due to this biodiversity but dramatic changes are seen due to climate change.