So I was wondering – if organic material in my backyard compost pile generate heat and steam, why aren’t forests floors around the world doing the same?
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Bacterial growth generates heat. Because compost is not distributed evenly into the ground, but in a concentrated heap, that heat doesn’t dissipate: that is, it is more difficult for the inside of the heap to cool down.
That is why “professional” composting has the concern of “shuffling” the heap from time to time, to cool the heap: you want bacteria to grow, and temperature is important for that. But if it reaches 65C the bacteria may die and not “finish the job”, making composting to end up slower.
In a forest floor, because the content is distributed evenly on the ground, there is not a big “inside” protected from the cold.
[https://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html](https://compost.css.cornell.edu/physics.html)
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