Controlled burning of natural environments ‘could help offset carbon emissions’

Prescribed burns can lock in the greenhouse gas in temperate forests, savannahs and grasslands, research finds

Controlled burning of natural environments such as forests could help save the planet, according to new research (Getty Images)

Controlled burning of natural environments such as forests could help save the planet, according to new research.

Setting natural environments alight can increase carbon storage in the soil, and prescribed burns actually lock in the greenhouse gas in temperate forests, savannahs and grasslands.

Dr Adam Pellegrini, lead author of a study by the University of Cambridge, believes the method could therefore be used to maximise carbon storage in the soil.