Wooden vault: the poetry of science

Under the tired clock
old wood,
a treasure of
earth crust
preserves decomposition.
The backbone of the forest
locked in clay
cold close
stands firm
against the sieve
of years.
Here in the dense grip of the ground
wood once stirred
through the winds now speaks
of smoky skies.
in veins
of buds and bark
we feel the runes
of buried tradition –
plans of the
broken branches
to cover up our faults
in rotten robes
dying green.

This poem is inspired by recent researchwhich has discovered that burying wood in the right environmental conditions can stop its decomposition and help curb carbon dioxide emissions.

Trees stand out for their ability to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO₂), an important greenhouse gas, throughout its life. This natural carbon sequestration process is a critical component in efforts to combat climate change. Despite the large amounts of CO₂ Trees absorb annually through photosynthesis (six times more than all fossil fuels emit globally) and most of the carbon they capture returns to the atmosphere when they decompose after death. This cycle limits the long-term climate benefits of current tree-planting initiatives, as stored carbon is eventually released back into the environment.

However, researchers have made an important discovery that could improve the way we approach carbon storage, which could lead to a more sustainable solution. They unearthed a 3,775-year-old log of wood buried two meters underground, remarkably preserved with less than 5% carbon loss, compared to modern wood samples. The exceptional condition of this ancient wood, which is covered in compact clay that prevents oxygen from driving decomposition, points to a novel method for carbon sequestration. The study suggests that 'timber vaulting', a process that involves burying non-commercial wood (such as that from diseased trees or unwanted wooden items) in similar low-oxygen environments, could significantly prevent carbon from returning to enter the atmosphere. With the potential to lock up up to 10 gigatonnes of CO₂ annually using existing technologies, this method offers a promising and cost-effective strategy for long-term carbon storage, transforming the way we could mitigate climate impacts.