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Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#11

Post by maxencecornet »

jerkstate wrote: post #7

I did a rough spreadsheet some time back based on this 1998 EPA carbon sequestration worksheet [1] and found that an average person from a high carbon output country needs about 600-1000 trees to offset their carbon output. There are about 3 trillion trees for a population of 7 billion people for an average of 428 trees per person, so that means you have to make up the delta of about 172 to 572 trees over the course…

> an average person from a high carbon output country needs about 600-1000 trees to offset their carbon output.

This seems really doable for the average person!

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#12

Post by gantkimthis »

crispsquirrel wrote: post #8

I really want to start planting trees because this planet needs more trees, it's not a joke or some hippy movement, the consequences are real. I just feel like doing so in the UK is a bureaucratic nightmare. Plus buying trees to plant isn't cheap. I might just start saving up for land and planting trees there if I can.

Save up money to buy a farm and grow trees and other plants that you can farm and sell their produce.

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#13

Post by dleslie »

cschneid wrote: post #5
dleslie wrote: post #3

Given the amount of provisos, conditions, and regulators required to approve of planting, it sounds to me like it is better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

The rules presented in the article were just: "Don't mess anything up, and do it with permission by the land owner. If you plan to plant a ton, ask pros if that'll mess anything up."

The rules require archeological, environmental, and civic planning assessments; as well as permission from the land owner.

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#14

Post by dx87 »

rebuilder wrote: post #4

My wife and I have a property with a good bit of forest. It's mostly fir trees and birch. Every now and then I wonder if there's some way to increase the co2 uptake of the forest, but the question appears surprisingly complicated, and so far my conclusion has been to just leave it be. Has anyone looked into this?

There was an article posted recently that said the best way to increase the co2 uptake is by cutting down the fully grown trees and planting new trees. Full grown trees don't absord as much co2 as a tree that is still growing, and the needles that some trees drop make the ground acidic, preventing new trees from growing. The problem is that you have to find something to do with all the wood so the captured co2 doesn't get released from the harvested trees.

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#15

Post by scrollaway »

crispsquirrel wrote: post #8

I really want to start planting trees because this planet needs more trees, it's not a joke or some hippy movement, the consequences are real. I just feel like doing so in the UK is a bureaucratic nightmare. Plus buying trees to plant isn't cheap. I might just start saving up for land and planting trees there if I can.

> I just feel like doing so in the UK is a bureaucratic nightmare.

The way I see it, "making it easier to plant trees" is also an excellent action you can take, that can have even more of a positive impact than what a single person can achieve in terms of simply planting trees.

So if it's hard to do in the UK, you may find your time to be better spent making it easier for others (and yourself) to plant trees. And if you're on HN, you are like to have an entrepreneurial spirit; maybe you'll be tempted to start a charity or startup in the space.

Good luck :)

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#16

Post by notatoad »

dleslie wrote: post #13
cschneid wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The rules presented in the article were just: "Don't mess anything up, and do it with permission by the land owner. If you plan to plant a ton, ask pros if that'll mess anything up."

The rules require archeological, environmental, and civic planning assessments; as well as permission from the land owner.

did you read a different article?

"In England, you would not need planning permission to plant less than two hectares (20,000 sq metres) in a low risk area, it said."

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#17

Post by pmontra »

jerkstate wrote: post #7

I did a rough spreadsheet some time back based on this 1998 EPA carbon sequestration worksheet [1] and found that an average person from a high carbon output country needs about 600-1000 trees to offset their carbon output. There are about 3 trillion trees for a population of 7 billion people for an average of 428 trees per person, so that means you have to make up the delta of about 172 to 572 trees over the course…

There is one thing that I don't understand. I plant 1000 trees, I sequester the CO2 I create by driving, heating my home and all the activities done by third parties to keep me alive (food, hospitals, etc). But that CO2 is still under the sky and most of it will be released when the trees die. It's not like we're pumping it back into oil fields or coal mines and never see it again. So this 1T trees initiative is a stop gap measure to buy us some time but it won't solve the problem. But it's better than doing nothing.

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#18

Post by jerkstate »

dx87 wrote: post #14
rebuilder wrote: post #4

My wife and I have a property with a good bit of forest. It's mostly fir trees and birch. Every now and then I wonder if there's some way to increase the co2 uptake of the forest, but the question appears surprisingly complicated, and so far my conclusion has been to just leave it be. Has anyone looked into this?

There was an article posted recently that said the best way to increase the co2 uptake is by cutting down the fully grown trees and planting new trees. Full grown trees don't absord as much co2 as a tree that is still growing, and the needles that some trees drop make the ground acidic, preventing new trees from growing. The problem is that you have to find something to do with all the wood so the captured co2 doesn'…

I'm not sure if that's true. Based on what I've read, older trees sequester carbon at a higher rate, according to [1]. I would like to see the counter claim.

https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/method-calculat... page 8

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#19

Post by dleslie »

maxencecornet wrote: post #11
jerkstate wrote: post #7

I did a rough spreadsheet some time back based on this 1998 EPA carbon sequestration worksheet [1] and found that an average person from a high carbon output country needs about 600-1000 trees to offset their carbon output. There are about 3 trillion trees for a population of 7 billion people for an average of 428 trees per person, so that means you have to make up the delta of about 172 to 572 trees over the course…

> an average person from a high carbon output country needs about 600-1000 trees to offset their carbon output. This seems really doable for the average person!

It's far less than what a professional tree planter will manage in a single day in Canada.

It's definitely possible for any healthy adult.

Re: Tree planting: Where can I do it and which type is best?

#20

Post by Diederich »

dx87 wrote: post #14
rebuilder wrote: post #4

My wife and I have a property with a good bit of forest. It's mostly fir trees and birch. Every now and then I wonder if there's some way to increase the co2 uptake of the forest, but the question appears surprisingly complicated, and so far my conclusion has been to just leave it be. Has anyone looked into this?

There was an article posted recently that said the best way to increase the co2 uptake is by cutting down the fully grown trees and planting new trees. Full grown trees don't absord as much co2 as a tree that is still growing, and the needles that some trees drop make the ground acidic, preventing new trees from growing. The problem is that you have to find something to do with all the wood so the captured co2 doesn'…

> find something to do with all the wood

Perhaps use it to build long-lasting structures, such as houses?

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