Source or sink? Trees with heart rot disease emit more methane, upending forest carbon models

Throughout their lifetimes, healthy forests produce more oxygen than they use, while taking in greenhouse gases via plants and soils. This ecosystem-wide service, called carbon sequestration, regulates global climate and is an essential component of climate models and goals. Forest health, however, influences carbon cycling, and when trees get sick, the net reduction of greenhouse gases may be more limited than previously thought.