Do wildfires play a role in the long-term carbon cycle?

Citation

Subke J, Parker R, Bilby E, Carron J & Parker T (2025) Do wildfires play a role in the long-term carbon cycle?. [Video] 08.09.2025. https://timeforgeography.co.uk/videos-container/do-wildfires-play-a-role-in-the-long-term-carbon-cycle/

Abstract
New research from the savanna grasslands of Gabon is uncovering a surprising role for wildfires — not just in releasing carbon, but potentially removing it from the atmosphere and locking it away for thousands to millions of years. In this video, we explore how wildfires influence both the short-term carbon cycle, through the release and absorption of carbon by plants, and the long-term carbon cycle, as carbon-rich charcoal becomes buried in soil, transported by rivers, and potentially stored deep in the Earth. With insights from Professor Jens Subke at the University of Stirling, we investigate: What pyrogenic carbon is, and how it forms. Why some charcoal breaks down quickly, while other types can stay in soils for thousands of years. How this carbon moves through landscapes — and what it could mean for climate change.