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Lack of oxygen may make it even worse. Evolution of methane from decaying organic matter in soil in an anoxic environment would be much worse than CO2 in terms of global warming.

However, I’m not a soil scientist.

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Methane production requires nearly a total anoxic environment. Even trace amounts of oxygen are enough for substantial suppression. Decaying roots, even if they were deeper, would be exposed to at least a little oxygen throughout the early decay process (unless continually flooded with water). Once the roots have decayed to a stage where they are more decay resistant, there would naturally be even less local oxygen, but they would also be in a state not favorable for substantial methane production.

The chemistry seems complicated. To create methane, you need hydrogen, which is a byproduct of previous anaerobic microbe activity. Think lots of fresh plant material decomposing in an anaerobic environment.

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