Solar radiation drives methane emissions from the shoots of Scots pine

Plants are recognized as sources of aerobically produced methane (CH(4)), but the seasonality, environmental drivers and significance of CH(4) emissions from the canopies of evergreen boreal trees remain poorly understood. We measured the CH(4) fluxes from the shoots of Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) and Picea abies (Norway spruce) saplings in a static, non‐steady‐state chamber setup to investigate if the shoots of boreal conifers are a source of CH(4) during spring. We found that the shoots of Scots pine emitted CH(4) and these emissions correlated with the photosynthetically active radiation. For Norway spruce, the evidence for CH(4) emissions from the shoots was inconclusive. Our study shows that the canopies of evergreen boreal trees are a potential source of CH(4) in the spring and that these emissions are driven by a temperature‐by‐light interaction effect of solar radiation either directly or indirectly through its effects on tree physiological processes.