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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Methane uptake in New Zealand planted forest soils

Kathryn Wigley https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0146-5048 A * , Giuliana Brambilla A , Joane Elleouet B , Steve J. Wakelin B , Timothy J. Clough C and Steve A. Wakelin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1167-8699 A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Scion Group, Bioeconomy Science Institute, 10 Kyle Street, Riccarton, Christchurch 8440, New Zealand.

B Scion Group, Bioeconomy Science Institute, Level 6, 17–21 Whitmore Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011, New Zealand.

C Department of Soil and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand.


Handling Editor: Ji-Zheng He

Soil Research 63, SR25011 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR25011
Submitted: 27 January 2025  Accepted: 1 September 2025  Published: 29 September 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

New Zealand’s 1.6 million ha of Pinus radiata represent a potentially substantial but unaccounted for methane (CH4) sink in the nation’s greenhouse gas inventory. Quantifying this sink is crucial as it offers an opportunity to offset emissions from agriculture and other sectors.

Aim

To obtain the first in-situ data on CH4 fluxes in P. radiata forests across New Zealand and to evaluate the implications for the country’s CH4 budget.

Methods

Monthly CH4 flux measurements were collected over a 12-month period at three forest sites: Kaingaroa, McLeans Island, and Orton Bradley Park.

Key results

All sites were CH4 sinks, with average uptakes of 2.8 kg CH4 ha−1 year−1 at Kaingaroa, and 2.5 kg CH4 ha−1 year−1 at the other two sites. While fluxes varied spatially and temporally, no significant correlations were found between CH4 flux and the measured environmental variables (soil water content, soil temperature, and relative gas diffusivity), possibly due to unmeasured within-site variability, low bulk density, and high gas diffusivity of the soils – meaning that gas diffusion was not limited, or insensitivity of CH4 cycling over the temperature and moisture ranges present at the sites. Extrapolated nationally, P. radiata forests are estimated to absorb 113.6 kt CO2-e of CH4 annually.

Conclusions

Scaled nationally, CH4 oxidation in planted forest soils could offset a large proportion of emissions from sectors such as rail transport and natural gas production.

Implications

This study shows that consideration should be made for incorporating this sink into New Zealand’s greenhouse gas budgets along with other CH4 sinks and sources in P. radiata forests to better inform climate change mitigation policies.

Keywords: CH4 flux, CH4 oxidation, CH4 sink, greenhouse gas budgeting, greenhouse gases, offset emissions, Pinus radiata, relative gas diffusivity, soil temperature, soil water content, temperate forest soil.

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