A startup company is testing whether covering rapidly eroding Arctic permafrost with woody material can stabilize the ground and prevent the release of greenhouse gases, according to a report in the journal Nature. The approach involves deploying what researchers describe as woody «blankets» over areas of thawing permafrost, aiming to slow erosion and keep carbon locked in frozen soil.
Permafrost — ground that remains at or below freezing for at least two consecutive years — covers vast areas of the Arctic and holds enormous quantities of organic carbon accumulated over thousands of years. As global temperatures rise, this frozen ground is thawing at an accelerating rate, triggering erosion and allowing microbes to decompose previously frozen organic matter. That decomposition releases carbon dioxide and methane, two of the most significant greenhouse gases driving climate change.
The startup's field tests focus on sections of permafrost experiencing rapid erosion, where the loss of frozen ground can happen quickly and release large pulses of carbon. By placing woody material over the surface, the company hopes to insulate the permafrost, reduce further thawing, and physically stabilize the soil against collapse and erosion. The blankets are intended to mimic natural insulating layers that can protect frozen ground from warm air temperatures.
If the technique proves effective, it could offer a localized tool for slowing emissions from permafrost regions, which are among the largest potential sources of future greenhouse gases. However, the scale of Arctic permafrost — spanning millions of square kilometers across Alaska, Canada, Russia, and Scandinavia — means that any blanket-based approach would face enormous logistical challenges. The startup's tests are therefore likely to be small-scale experiments designed to measure whether the method can meaningfully reduce carbon losses at specific sites.
Scientists have long warned that permafrost thaw represents a feedback loop in the climate system: as the ground warms, it releases greenhouse gases that further warm the atmosphere, potentially accelerating thaw. The Arctic is warming at roughly three to four times the global average rate, making permafrost degradation one of the most closely watched climate impacts. Erosion along coastlines and riverbanks is particularly concerning because it can expose deep layers of previously frozen carbon to rapid decomposition.
The startup's approach is part of a broader search for ways to intervene in permafrost systems, from reindeer grazing management to snow manipulation and now physical covers. None of these methods has yet been proven at scale, and researchers caution that local interventions cannot substitute for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Still, the company's tests will provide valuable data on whether woody blankets can alter the thermal dynamics of thawing ground.
Details about the startup's name, the specific locations of its field trials, and the composition of the woody material were not disclosed in the initial report. The results of the tests are expected to inform whether the technique could be expanded to other vulnerable permafrost areas. For now, the effort represents an early-stage experiment in a field where practical solutions remain scarce and the stakes for the global climate are high.