According to the new research, controlled burns best lock in carbon emissions across savannahs, grasslands, and temperate forests. Author Adam Pellegrini, an assistant professor at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, explained that smaller fires could stabilize and increase soil carbon in those environments.
“Most of the fires in natural ecosystems around the globe are controlled burns, so we should see this as an opportunity,” he said in a. “Humans are manipulating a process, so we may as well figure out how to manipulate it to maximize carbon storage in the soil.” Controlled burns techniques have been used by Indigenous tribal nations, including in fire-prone areas of North America. Before settlers arrived and colonized Northern California, tribes in the region created low-intensity
Furthermore, Planned Burns Can Reduce Wildfire Risks, but Expanding Use of ‘Good Fire’ Isn’t Easy.