Methane emissions from bald cypress tree trunks in a bottomland forest

Studies on natural methane emissions predominantly have occurred on wetland soils with herbaceous plant species. Less attention, however, has been placed on the role of woody wetland plant species in the methane cycle. Recent studies on methane emissions from tree trunks document that they are a significant source of emissions that previously has been not accounted for. In this study, we examine methane emissions from trunks of mature bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), which is a dominant tree species in bottomland hardwood forests of the Southeastern United States. To date, little is known about soil methane emissions in these systems, and published tree emissions have been limited to a single study conducted on bald cypress knees. In May 2013, we established a plot in a monospecific bald cypress stand planted approximately 70 years ago on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and are monitoring methane emissions on 12 tree trunks, soil chambers, and pore-water over the course of a year. Custom-made 30 cm tall open face rectangular tree chambers were constructed out of white acrylic sheets and secured on each tree at a midpoint of 45 cm above the soil surface. Chambers were lined with neoprene along the tree surface and sealed with an epoxy. On three trees that varied in trunk diameter, chambers were placed at average heights of 95, 145, 195, and 345 cm from the soil surface in order to calculate a decay curve of methane emissions. Once a month, chambers were sealed with lids and head-space samples were collected over the course of an hour. Methane flux was calculated and compared to emissions from soil chambers. Average cypress trunk methane fluxes ranged from 17.7 μmole m^-2 hr^-1 in May to 49.5 and 116.5 μmole m^-2 hr^-1 in June and July, respectively. Soil fluxes averaged 28.5 μmole m^-2 hr^-1 in May and June, and decreased to 13.7 μmole m^-2 hr^-1 in July. Methane emissions decreased exponentially up the tree trunk, with fluxes of 2 μmole m^-2 hr^-1 and less calculated 345 cm above the ground. These results highlight that methane emissions from bald cypress-dominated forests can be a significant source to the atmosphere. Current estimates of methane emissions from forested wetlands likely are underestimated based on these preliminary results, and suggest the increasing importance of tree-mediated methane fluxes to the atmosphere.