When it comes to trees – bigger is better for carbon capture!

Trees are the best carbon capturers in the world. As every school student knows, during photosynthesis trees pull carbon dioxide out of the air and release oxygen. Wood is made almost entirely of carbon, which lasts for years in a standing live tree and takes years to break down after the tree dies.

And, big trees are the most efficient at carbon capture!

Consider this… A 40” diameter healthy red oak tree adds perhaps a tiny 2/10 of an inch to its trunk diameter a year. But the carbon capture of this tiny layer is equal to adding an entire 6” diameter tree! The 40” tree simply has significantly more vegetation in leaf canopy, trunk, and, branch and root structures.

Or, consider this... When compared to a 3” diameter tree, a 30” diameter tree at 10 times the width captures about 70 times the quantity of pollutants, including carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.

At 80-100 years old, our northeastern forests now are on average only about 20-30% of their maximum lifespan, largely due to recent centuries of deforestation for agricultural and logging purposes. An 80-year old forest can continue to efficiently capture carbon for another 200 years.

So, what can you do? Individual property owners can make a big difference even on small parcels. Preserving the larger trees, favoring forested areas over creation of lawn, reforesting existing fields or lawn areas, leaving fallen trees and branches where they lie in wooded areas, and cutting invasive vines at their bases are important ways.

This information was excerpted from the article below titled Backyard Climate Solutions, by Edward K. Faison. Faison is a Senior Ecologist with Highstead, a conservation non-profit dedicated to increasing the pace of land protection in New England and beyond through science, sound stewardship and collaboration with diverse partners. He holds masters degrees from the University of Vermont and Harvard, and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His work has been published in scientific and popular journals including Ecology, Arnoldia, Conservation Letters, CT Woodlands, and Forest Ecology and Management.