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Forest soils in 13 plots in south-west Germany absorbed atmospheric methane at an average rate that increased by about 3% per year during monitoring periods lasting up to 24 years. The result, published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology in 2025, is a regional observational finding—not evidence that climate change will strengthen every forest’s methane sink.
Do forest soils remove methane from the air?
Yes. Many undisturbed forest soils act as biological methane sinks: methane from the atmosphere diffuses into oxygen-rich upper soil, where methane-oxidizing microorganisms consume it. The German study measured this process over time and found that uptake increased at the monitored sites rather than declining.
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Across all sites, mean annual uptake was 1.40 ± 1.29 nanomoles per square metre per second. Individual sites ranged from 0.55 to 3.31 nanomoles per square metre per second. These are soil-surface fluxes, not a measurement of total carbon storage by the surrounding forests.
What the 24-year study measured
Sites and duration
Researchers analyzed 13 beech and spruce forest plots in south-west Germany. The plots belong to the Forest Research Institute Baden-Württemberg soil-gas monitoring programme, with records extending for as long as 24 years. The number of sites and their geographic concentration mean the results describe these forest soils and their climate, not a global average.
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How methane uptake was calculated
Thin tubes installed at several soil depths were used to draw soil-gas samples repeatedly over many years. Methane concentration profiles through the soil were used to calculate the direction and size of the atmospheric methane flux. The team independently checked the profile-based estimates with chamber measurements: an airtight chamber was placed on the soil surface and the change in methane concentration was measured over time.
Why would drying and warming increase methane uptake?
Dryer soil leaves more pathways for methane
The study period coincided with declining annual precipitation and soil moisture at the monitored locations. When soil dries, water occupies less of the pore network and air-filled pore space increases. Methane can then diffuse from the atmosphere deeper into the soil more readily, giving methane-oxidizing microbes greater access to it. Very wet soils can slow gas diffusion and, in some settings, create oxygen-poor conditions that alter methane production and consumption.
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Warmer conditions may speed microbial oxidation
Soil temperature also rose in the record. Within the temperature range experienced by these soils, warmth can increase the activity of methane-oxidizing microorganisms, provided that oxygen and other necessities remain available. The authors therefore propose a combined explanation: drying improved methane transport into the soil while warming potentially accelerated biological consumption.
What does “3% per year” mean?
The trend analysis reported an average increase in methane uptake of about 3% per year across the monitored record. This is a statistical trend in repeated field observations, not a guaranteed annual gain at every plot. The wide site range and the reported uncertainty around the mean show that uptake differed substantially among locations.
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The result also should not be read as a 24-year experiment in which researchers manipulated climate. Temperature, rainfall and soil moisture changed naturally, and the study used observations to identify associations and a plausible mechanism. It establishes that uptake rose while the local climate became warmer and drier; it does not prove that either factor alone caused the entire increase.
Did the study show that climate change can help forests?
It showed that climate change does not necessarily reduce one forest-soil service: atmospheric methane removal increased in these German plots during the observation period. Professor Martin Maier of the University of Göttingen described the finding as evidence that climate change “does not necessarily have a negative impact on how much methane forest soils absorb.”
That limited conclusion is different from saying climate change is beneficial overall. The study did not measure tree growth, drought damage, wildfire risk, biodiversity, carbon stored in vegetation or soil, or the forest’s complete greenhouse-gas balance. A stronger methane sink could coexist with serious climate impacts on the same ecosystem.
Can the German result be generalized to forests everywhere?
No—not without additional evidence. Rainfall patterns are especially important. The authors contrast their trend with international studies that found declining forest-soil methane uptake under wetter conditions. A forest receiving more rain may have less air-filled pore space and slower methane diffusion, while a severely drought-stressed forest could experience biological changes that are not captured by this mechanism.
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Climate, soil texture, drainage, vegetation, microbial communities and forest type all vary. The 13 plots include beech and spruce soils in one region; tropical, boreal, Mediterranean and waterlogged forests may respond differently. The appropriate interpretation is that local drying and warming coincided with—and may help explain—rising uptake at these sites, not that warming universally improves forests’ methane removal.
Why long-term monitoring matters
Short measurement campaigns can miss gradual changes or confuse an unusual season with a lasting trend. The German programme repeatedly sampled the same soil systems over decades and paired concentration-profile calculations with chamber validation. Maier said that long-running measurements and monitoring programmes are indispensable for assessing climate effects in real ecosystems.
For readers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: forest soils are active parts of the atmospheric methane cycle, and their role can change as moisture and temperature change. The direction and size of that change must be measured in each climate and forest type rather than inferred from one region.
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