Slow increase in rate of methane oxidation in soils with time following land use change from arable agriculture to woodland

In a successional range of sites on former arable land in Denmark and Scotland, CH4 oxidation rates took more than 100 y to reach pre-cultivation level. During the first 2–5 y following abandonment of agriculture, CH4 oxidation decreased slightly, eventually followed by an increase from 5–15 μg CH4 m−2 h−1 to a substantially higher rate of 100–150 μg CH4 m−2 h−1 in the oldest (200 y) woodlands.