Neal Flanagan, a research scientist at Duke University, displays real-time carbon dioxide emissions from a sensor Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Neal Flanagan, a research scientist at Duke University, carries soil sampling tools Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A fire-damaged tree stands in an area of peatland Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A beaver swims in a creek at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A juvenile black bear walks through a clearing where peatlands are being restored Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A planter, right, works in a field adjacent to a peatland forest Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Curtis Richardson, an ecology professor at Duke University, holds peat soil Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Neal Flanagan, right, a research scientist at Duke University, uses a tool to take a soil sample from a peatland as Curt Richardson, an ecology professor at Duke, observes Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Belhaven, N.C. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)