anglicantaonga

Telling the stories of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, NZ and Polynesia

The effect of tree planting

If every person on the planet planted 40 trees it could slow climate change long enough to allow time to develop alternative technologies.

Rev Dr John Flenley, after Dr Peter Read.  |  11 Jun 2013

Theory: If every person on the planet planted 40 trees each it could slow climate change long enough to allow time to develop alternative technologies.

Calculation

Carbon as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere: 720 billion tons. World population: 7 billion

Average number of trees per hectare of forest = 700 (Alabama Forestry Commission)

Conversion of short tons to metric tons: 0.9077

85 acres of forest yielded:

4. 581 short tons tree biomass (soft wood),

3.024 short tons tree biomass (hard wood)

Conversion to dry tons using specific gravity ratios:

4.581 X 0.483 = 2.212 short tons tree biomass

3.024 x 0.529 = 1600 short tons tree biomass hard wood)

Total tree biomass = 2.212 + 1600 short tons = 3812 short tons.

Convert to carbon mass equivalent - using figure of 50% carbon in wood (Read, 1994, p.91) 

3812 x 0.5 = 1906 short tons.

Conversion to CO2 equivalent: 1906 x 3.67 = 6,999 short tons CO2.

Metric conversion: 6,999 x 0.9072 = 6,349 metric tons CO2

Conversion to per acre: 6,5257 = 74.70 tons CO2 equivalent in one tree

Average number of trees per hectare of forest = 700.

Average CO2 equivalent in one tree =  74.70 = 0.1067 tons per tree.

If every person planted one tree this would sequester: 7 billion x 0.1067 tons of CO2 = 747,000,000 of CO2. 

If every person planted 40 trees, this would sequester: 747 million x 40 = 30 billion tons. CO2 in the atmosphere is 720 billion tons. 

30 billion = 4.2% of 720 billion. 

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