A Beginners Guide To Planting Trees And Fighting The Climate Crisis Trees And Forests

With their natural ability to trap carbon – to extract it from the atmosphere and lock it in as wood – trees are a simple, understandable way to deal with a climate emergency. Indeed, the most impressive action finally committed to Cop26 was to end deforestation by 2030. The California-derived Sequoias pictured here are now grown from seed in the United Kingdom. Photo: Michael Rucker / Getty Images The United Kingdom, however, is not a pioneer in forests. we are one of the least forested countries in Europe. According to the Woodland Trust, the UK’s tree cover is well below the EU average, at 13% of land cover compared to 37%. The Climate Change Committee has advised that in order to achieve clean zero emissions by 2050, tree cover must rise to 19% of the UK – about 1.5 billion more trees, says the Woodland Trust. That means 22 trees each for everyone in the UK. To this end, tree planting initiatives are flourishing, from political goals and charitable campaigns to private companies seeking to offset carbon emissions. The government is committed to planting 30,000 hectares of forest per year by 2024. AstraZeneca has partnered with Forestry England to plant one million trees throughout the United Kingdom, including the restoration of indigenous forests in southern Scotland. The National Trust aims to have 20 million new trees in a land of trust by 2030. Coldplay have vowed to plant a tree for every ticket sold for their 2022 world tour. The Sauce dating app will plant a tree for every match . and energy suppliers offer “greener” tariffs that support forest regeneration. There is even a tree planting program to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee. Trees, trees, trees. The Sequoia’s One Life One Tree Like most, I would like to see more trees planted. And I would like to know that the initiatives I support are future and environmentally friendly – the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew have warned that poorly planned tree planting could indeed increase CO2 emissions and reduce biodiversity. He recently published 10 golden rules for reforestation, urging programs to take into account factors such as the suitability and sustainability of the site. But where do I start? Which trees are better? Where will they be planted? And who will maintain them? These trees I saw planted in the Brecon Beacons were giant sequoias – the huge conifers from Sierra Nevada, California. Their planting was organized by the One Life One Tree. At its location near Abergavenny (one of four), paying patrons came to compensate for the carbon footprint of a lifetime by planting one of the largest trees in the world. Some argue that planting non-native species can affect native biodiversity. Over thousands of years, a network of interconnected flora, fauna and fungi has evolved alongside our native trees. replace the trees with foreign ones and these relationships can suffer. For this purpose, One Life One Tree plants native trees, such as oaks and rowan trees, along with sequoias. “We only plant in areas of monoculture timber plantations that have been cut down in the past,” says founder Henry Emson. “If we did not undertake this project, this land would simply be bought by a timber company and supplied with non-native conifers – we are creating an increase in biodiversity, not a decrease.” Sugi’s recovery project at a school in Barking, London. Photo: Joya Berrow / Sugi These trees are the strongest on the planet for carbon capture, he says. Unlike other conifers, such as Douglas fir and Sitka spruce, whose growth plateaus at a certain age, giant sequoias continue to grow and accumulate wood beyond maturity. “So their value for carbon sequestration goes on for a millennium.” Another common concern with planting non-natives is the possibility of “invasiveness”. plants that are superior to the flora of the United Kingdom or that host potentially destructive pathogens. In it, Emson says his sequoias are grown in the UK from seed, “so there is no introduction of any disease or bug. “Giant sequoias can not be spread in the UK – they need fires – so there is no risk of them breaking out in the countryside.” He started the project by planting a sequoia for each of his children, to give them a carbon footprint. Emson estimates that with a life expectancy in the UK of around 80 years and a per capita carbon emissions of 6.5 tonnes per year, a giant sequoia rising to 500 cubic meters can offset the carbon footprint of a person’s life. “Per hectare, indigenous forest areas will capture 400-600 tons of CO2 in 100 years. The sequoias at a distance as we have them here will catch 6,000 tons “. The patrons pay 5 395 for the tree, which contributes to the cost of the land and maintenance. The initiative for the planting of Stump up for Trees in the Black Mountains Talking to the patrons who planted their lifelong sequoias was an encouraging experience: parents Richard and Eva planted a tree for their young son Leon (“it’s for his future”). “I have not met a single visitor who says, ‘I do this to continue as I was,’” says Emson. “They are conscientious, they do it out of love for the planet. “People who are strangers do not bother to go to Wales to plant a tree.” Cities can also play a role – in the form of urban forests, parks, areas and islands of traffic “Climate adaptability” is another of Kew’s 10 golden rules. In the Tree Species Database, Forest Research (the UK ‘s leading agency for tree studies) lists giant sequoia as “a species that could be grown more widely across Britain as the climate warms”. So colossal conifers native to North America could prove to be suitable for a warmer climate (there are examples of 150-year-olds growing well in Welshpool, mid-Wales), but Kew Dr Kate Hardwick urges Caution: “Many foresters assume we will need non-native species to tackle climate change. “But we just do not know yet,” he told me. “There is a huge amount of genetic diversity in our native species and it may well be enough to adapt to the climate change we will experience.” Another route for reforestation and carbon capture is through farmland. Just north of the sequoia grove in the Black Mountains is Bryn Arw, a pilot site for Stump Up For Trees (Suft), a charity trying to persuade landowners to include more trees in their land. The winding lanes lead to the 64-hectare hillside slope, where the cultivated saplings face strong winds and a stunning view of the Beacons. Its co-founders are Keith Powell, a seventh-generation Black Mountain farmer, and author Robert Penn, author of The Man Who Made Things from Trees. “We think carbon sequestration is very important,” says Powell, “but it’s quite low on the list of benefits of planting trees.” Improving soil and water quality, as well as providing wildlife, are among Suft’s priorities, along with natural flood management. Last winter, 130,000 native trees, including birch, sorghum and oak, were planted here by Suft volunteers and contractors, the first major common land tree in Wales. A sprout of giant sequoia leaves brown-soil green. Photo: MXW Stock / Getty Images But Suft has broader intentions. The charity is persuading farmers to set aside a percentage of their less productive land for tree planting. Carbon sequestration may then play a role as once new tree plantings for Woodland Coal Units are validated (as regulated by the government-endorsed Woodland Coal Code), carbon sequestration can be sold in the form of carbon credits. “We try to make farmers see coal as a crop on marginal or unproductive land,” Powell said. “It could provide a sustainable income for farms – and in that way it would be acceptable across the country.” Penn tells me that selling carbon credits to a new two-hectare indigenous forest project could easily make 10 10,000 for the landowner. Indeed, “Make it pay” is the 10th of Kew’s golden rules, recognizing that revenue streams will ensure the sustainability of reforestation projects. Cities can also play a role in reforestation – in the form of urban “forests”, parks, workplaces, roadside and traffic islands. Rewilding Sugi plants dense native saplings so that they mature quickly in the forest and thin naturally as the trees compete for light. In an elementary school in central London, a corner of a concrete playground is being replaced by a pocket forest of various indigenous species, such as hazelnut, dogwood, fuselage and holly. “The idea is that the forest becomes self-sustaining very quickly,” says Sugi chief forest builder James Godfrey-Faussett. “From an environmental point of view, a forest ecosystem is probably the most impactful thing you can do in an urban area. can affect biodiversity, air quality, communities and the local environment “. Using the “Miyawaki Method” – a reforestation approach using densely planted native species that will thin and mature naturally – Godfrey-Faussett has partnered with local businesses and schools in UK cities, establishing as many planting arrangements as possible. In an elementary school in central London, he told me, a corner of a concrete playground …