{"id":2791,"date":"2022-04-25T10:32:22","date_gmt":"2022-04-25T10:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/?p=2791"},"modified":"2022-06-17T08:50:54","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T08:50:54","slug":"which-tree-absorbs-the-most-co2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/which-tree-absorbs-the-most-co2\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Tree Absorbs the Most CO2?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Do you know which tree absorbs the most CO2? You may be surprised. <\/span><\/p>\n Currently, our world is having to grapple with rising carbon dioxide emissions \u2013 36 billion tons per year \u2013 which are heating up the planet.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> <\/span>To tackle this crisis, scientists are increasingly examining how trees can help us to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere. While trees are not a silver bullet, a growing number of scientists are advocating for large tree-planting programs. <\/span><\/p>\n This raises a fundamental question, which<\/span> tree<\/span> is the most relevant in CO2 reduction? This can help us to understand which trees need to be planted.<\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t a theoretical question. The world could “<\/span>erase 100 years of carbon emissions<\/span><\/a>” by planting native trees across an area the size of the United States, as outlined by a major study in 2019. \u201cIf we act now, this could cut carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by up to 25 per cent, to levels last seen almost a century ago\u201d, said a senior author of the study, which was published in the journal \u2018Science\u2019.<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The answer to this question also isn\u2019t straightforward. It depends on the species of tree and its level of maturity. Trees absorb CO2 during photosynthesis. In this process, they use water, sunlight and carbon to produce energy and oxygen. The carbon is used to build their organic material, such as stems, leaves and wood.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In other words, large trees with dense wood usually absorb the most carbon dioxide. Species such as pines, conifers, oak trees, and other deciduous tree species, such as the horse-chestnut tree, absorb relatively large amounts of carbon dioxide.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> <\/span>Moreover, as trees grow older, they also grow faster and become more efficient at absorbing CO2. This makes older trees better at absorbing carbon dioxide than younger ones.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> However, <\/span>some scientists maintain that <\/span>younger forests absorb more carbon overall because small trees in younger forests can be <\/span>placed closer together.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> O<\/span>lder forest trees, on the other hand, tend to be more spaced out. <\/span><\/p>\n Consequently, it’s not always clear which tree absorbs the most CO2. But, we know that cutting down trees releases the stored CO2 back into the air, and therefore it is better for the environment to stop cutting them down.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nWhich tree absorbs the most CO2?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How do trees reduce CO2?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Is tree planting the solution to climate change?<\/h2>\n