Does burning wood release all of the carbon a tree has captured in its lifetime? Does a dead decomposing tree do the same?

Question

Anytime carbon capture comes up, the conversation devolves into commenters saying the entire idea is dumb and trees already exist. I’d like to know more about the full life cycle of a tree and if the carbon it captures is permanent.

In: 199

Answer 1

If you burn wood, the majority of the carbon is released, mostly as carbon dioxide and a little carbon monoxide. Some remains as ash.

When wood decomposes, microorganisms release some of the carbon as gases, mostly carbon dioxide and methane. Unlike burning, however, more of the carbon is incorporated into organism doing the decomposition, and some is lost as waste products to the environment.

Decomposition keeps a higher percentage bound up for longer, but it’s all part of a global cycle. Pretty much all carbon on the surface will be carbon in the air for a while, then eventually work it’s way back into plants and other living things.