A study conducted in Australia and published in the journal Science revealed that the bark of trees harbors trillions of microorganisms capable of purifying the air, absorbing greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants.
This discovery expands the understanding of the role of forests in climate regulation and opens new avenues for addressing global warming.
The work was led by Dr. Bob Leung (Institute of Biomedical Discovery, Monash University) and Dr. Luke Jeffrey (Southern Cross University), who describe the finding as a paradigm shift: “Trees and their resident microbes shape the atmosphere in ways we are just beginning to understand.”
The magnitude of the phenomenon
Dr. Jeffrey highlighted that the global surface of bark is approximately equivalent to the extent of the seven continents combined.
Microbial activity in this “bark continent” would be removing millions of tons of climate gases each year, multiplying the ecological contribution of forests.
Five years of research in Australia
The study analyzed trees in wetlands, highlands, and mangroves of eastern Australia, including species such as:
- Melaleuca quinquenervia
- Casuarina glauca
- Banksia integrifolia
- Acacia longifolia
- Avicennia marina
- Eucalyptus siderophloia and E. propinqua
Using advanced genomic and biogeochemical techniques, scientists identified and characterized the activity of resident microbes in the bark.
How tree microbes act
The data shows that these microorganisms:
- Consume methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide.
- Process volatile compounds released by the trees themselves.
- Purify the air both from the outside and inside of the trunks.
This purifying effect complements photosynthesis, expanding the spectrum of gases that forests can capture and process.
Ecological and social implications
Professor Chris Greening (BDI) noted that identifying trees with highly active microbes could make them priority targets for reforestation and urban greening projects. He also emphasized the human value of the finding: tree microbes help remove carbon monoxide, a toxic pollutant, improving air quality.
Professor Damien Maher (Southern Cross) added that this research is just “the tip of the iceberg” and that the microbial diversity identified suggests the need to rethink how forests control the Earth’s climate.
A new paradigm in climate science
The evidence shows that trees not only fix carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, but their interaction with bark microbiota amplifies the sink effect of forests.
This finding challenges the scientific community to investigate to what extent microbial diversity determines the effectiveness of forests in climate regulation and how it can be harnessed in environmental and urban policies.
Forests are much more than oxygen factories: they are complex ecosystems where bark and its microbes play a crucial role in air purification and climate change mitigation. This discovery opens new perspectives for conservation, reforestation, and air quality management on a planet increasingly affected by global warming.
