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No expert here but I believe it depends on how it decomposes. If wood rots at the surface, my understanding is more carbon is released into the atmosphere but if it is buried or decomposed using fungi or soil microbes, more carbon is captured into the soil.

Forests have a lot of decaying and decomposing deadfall wood but still seem to be a carbon sink so it may be a layering thing...



That's the reason you use wood chips and bark for mulch in a garden; to add carbon to the soil.


It isn't the usual primary reason. You use these things to provide a mulch layer over the top of tilth; it suppresses weed germination.

If all you want is to add organics, you'd probably fork in manure.




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