Boreal forests, or taiga, is a biome characterised by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches.
While they typically account for 10 per cent of global fire carbon dioxide emissions, they contributed 23 per cent in 2021, a new study reports.
“Boreal forests could be a time bomb of carbon and the recent increases in wildfire emissions we see make me worry the clock is ticking,” said study author Steven Davis.
Extreme wildfires – which impact the climate through the carbon dioxide they emit – have become more common.
According to the researchers, wildfires in tropical forests have received notable attention for their emissions, while fires in boreal forests have attracted much less focus.
This is despite the fact boreal forests are the world’s largest land biome, and fires in these regions release 10 to 20 times more carbon per unit of area burned than other ecosystems.
Monitoring fire emissions in these high-carbon density ecosystems...