"..climate scientists have been shocked by the study in Nature.."

Sometimes I think the so-called experts have done too much specialized studying, and not enough real-life experience. If I remember correctly "swamp gas" is mostly methane -- in concentrations noticeable to the non-expert. I suspect methane traces can be found in any area with overly wet decomposing organic material. Ever smelled a really "bad" [too wet] compost pile?

I agree, the trees need to go and gardeners need to be stopped too. Can you image the cumaulative emmisions from the membership of GW gardeners?

So what happens to the cut-down forest? We compost it? And what about the albedo effect of losing that forest? The oxygen it produces? The wildlife it supports? What about the role of swamps and marshes in cleaning water and creating diverse habitat?

Perhaps we can harvest methane?

##in a startling discovery, scientists have found that plants are contributing to harmful greenhouse gas emissions##

Looks like Ron Reagan was right......what a visionary...

Scott, the obvious answer is to use the forest cutting for mulch to suppress the growth of all but a few essential food crop plants.

Clearly, more research is needed.

Althea - Wouldn't there be a potential for the mulch to have problems decomposing in rainy areas - thus adding that trace of methane to the atmosphere?

Possibly we would be encouraged to grow Chlorophytum comosum to improve air quality outside as well as indoors. Somehow, I can see this: we tromp along the bean rows, each step sinking into a foot of forest-chips, with poles every meter, holding spider plants swaying in the breeze. Of course, with all those trees having been composted, we'd probably still need oxygen tanks.

Well Meldy, I was thinking you'd probably have to do an analysis of whether the net gain in reduction of trees is offset by the decaying mulch. Then I read the article linked below which included this statement:

"Nature came to the opposite conclusion: as methane emissions from plants rise with temperature, climate change will cause further climate change."

I don't remember the linked article explaining that the methane emissions from plants rise with temperature. Shax, we need need to rethink your proposed solution.

Here is a link that might be useful: commondreams

Althea,
If I walk into a forest, alone, and scream really loudly, will anybody hear me?
'Cause that's what I feel like doing.

Not very scientific, I know, but certainly cathartic....

Shax, if a man is alone in the forest screaming, or even just talking to himself with no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong? :~)