轻松英语阅读：切尔诺贝利森林面临的危险

Something strange is happening in the forests around Chernobyl. More precisely, it is what is not happening that is the problem. When leaves fall and trees die there, they are not decomposing properly.

Scientists visiting the dead forests noticed that the trees were almost unchanged nearly 30 years after the disaster. They also found an unusually thick carpet of fallen leaves. The scientists knew something strange was happening and they decided to investigate. They uncovered that the rate of decay for the dead trees and leaves was much slower in the contaminated areas.

It appears that microbes, fungi and insects, are suffering from contamination. Usually, when a tree dies in the forest these organisms break it down and turn it into soil. They are essential to the forest ecosystem. But near Chernobyl the ecosystem has broken down.

The problem could have wider implications. The scientists fear that the thick dead brush could be a huge fire risk. A forest fire in the area would be hard to control. What is worse is that it could spread radioactive material well beyond the exclusion zone.