{"id":2943,"date":"2022-04-26T16:05:19","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T16:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/?p=2943"},"modified":"2022-07-05T07:39:20","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T07:39:20","slug":"trees-carbon-dioxide-co2-all-the-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/trees-carbon-dioxide-co2-all-the-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Trees & Carbon Dioxide (CO2): All the Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The typical diet of a Westerner leads to the cutting down of four trees every year.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> Felling trees is a major contributor to climate change.<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> Global warming, trees, and carbon dioxide (CO2) are closely related.<\/p>\n

If we are to prevent a disastrous increase in average global temperatures, we must stop deforestation now.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do trees release carbon dioxide when they are cut down?<\/h2>\n

Simply put, yes. Trees release carbon dioxide when they are cut down.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> They also emit this greenhouse gas when they are burned or left to rot.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> CO2 in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere increases global warming by preventing heat from escaping into space.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> Consequently, tree cover loss is responsible for eight percent of all annual carbon emissions.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Do<\/p>\n

Tropical deforestation is causing more emissions per year than 85 million cars over their entire lifetime.<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> If tree felling in the tropics was a country, it would rank third in the world for CO2 emissions.<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> Cutting down trees releases significant quantities of CO2. This has serious consequences for our planet.<\/p>\n

What do trees do to carbon dioxide?<\/h2>\n

Trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow.<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> They capture it directly from the air through the process of photosynthesis.<\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> A typical mature tree will take up about 22 kilograms of CO2 from the atmosphere each year<\/a>.<\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> They combine carbon with water and use energy from sunlight to make food, enabling plants to grow. The process also releases the oxygen we need to breathe as a byproduct.<\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Carbon in soil and leaf litter<\/h2>\n

Excess carbon is stored in the trunks, branches, and leaves of a tree.<\/span>14<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> Trees also store about 48 percent of their captured carbon in nearby leaf litter and soil. As a result, a healthy forest ecosystem sequesters much more CO2 than trees can individually.<\/span>15<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Carbon<\/p>\n

Which trees absorb the most carbon dioxide?<\/h2>\n

Trees absorb more carbon as they mature<\/a>.<\/span>16<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> Forests of tall, old trees \u2013 such as the temperate rainforests of North America\u2019s Pacific coast \u2013 are some of the world\u2019s biggest carbon sinks.<\/span>17<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span> Slower-growing species can also store the most carbon, thanks to their longer lifespans. For this reason, it is better to leave existing trees standing than to cut them down and plant new trees.<\/span>18<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How do trees reduce carbon dioxide?<\/h2>\n

Trees reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by absorbing it and storing it for extended periods. Long-lived trees, including high elevation pines and other high-northern conifers, can store carbon for many centuries.<\/span>19<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By pulling CO2 from the air, trees lower the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Therefore, deforestation increases the amount of CO2 in two ways:<\/p>\n