Do trees produce methane?

[IndianaJones]

this is a claim made in a debate I am having on another forum.

[slackmaster]

1. Yes, mostly after they die

If they deteriorate in a boggy environment.

[IllLib]

2. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -

Methane:Sources of methane:Alternative sources

"A recent scientific experiment has also yielded results pointing to the fact that all plants produce methane, and as the climate warms they produce more <9>. In fact 600 million metric tons of methane a year are produced, 225 of those produced by plants."

[Henryman]

3. Don't think so. Microorganisms produce methane as waste.

Not 100% positive, but I think bacteria produces methane as waste while consuming dead trees. Trees producing methane is like saying air produces carbon dioxide. Trees don't produce methane directly.

[Javaman]

4. only the prune trees...LOL nt

[skids]

5. About in equilibrium...

Due to atmospheric destruction and methanotrophic bacteria that tend to thrive in soil that has a supply of organic matter, e.g. forests.

http://www.ghgonline.org/aboutmethane.htm

It seems that right now we are at a wall where something (I've seen papers saying it is the methanoptrohpic activity) is managing to soak up all the methane we throw at it. However just like we are about to saturate the oceanic CO2 solubility sink, we will probably saturate this sink as well, as the organisms will become less effective at it as soil warms.

http://www.ghgonline.org/methanesinkatmos.htm

Not to mention the impending clathrate and permafrosts releases. We're in the red zone on a bunch of things. If any of those buffers breaks down, we could find ourselves falling down a feedback spiral right fast, the rest falling like dominoes.

[XemaSab]

6. No

Methane is produced in anaerobic decay.