But we’ve found that in ecosystems including temperate forests, savannahs and grasslands, fire can stabilize or even increase soil carbon,” said Dr.
But the researchers say that fires can also cause other transformations within soils that can offset these immediate carbon losses, and may stabilize ecosystem carbon.
It creates charcoal, which is very resistant to decomposition, and forms ‘aggregates’ – physical clumps of soil that can protect carbon-rich organic matter at the center.
“Ecosystems can store huge amounts of carbon when the frequency and intensity of fires is just right.
When fires are too frequent or intense—as is often the case in densely planted forests—they burn all the dead plant material that would otherwise decompose and release carbon into the soil.
Without fire, soil carbon is recycled—organic matter from plants is consumed by microbes and released as carbon dioxide or methane.
The scientists say that ecosystems can also be managed to increase the amount of carbon stored in their soils.
“In considering how ecosystems should be managed to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, fire is often seen as a bad thing.
More carbon is stored in the world’s soil than in the global vegetation and the atmosphere combined.