Is a tree planted to save the planet really worth it? We sometimes hear this question. So, true or false?
“Planting trees takes a lot of time.”
True and false. True: a forest takes around thirty years to reach its maximum size. What we forget is that it’s precisely during these early years that trees absorb the most CO2! After that, a mature forest conserves carbon. It still absorbs carbon, of course, but it releases almost as much in the form of decomposing dead wood. So a reforestation project has an immediate impact on the climate.
“In the beginning, trees are very small.”
True. The trees we plant reach 2 meters after 3 years. But what we forget is that there are a lot of them: about one small tree every 3 square meters, bearing in mind that we sow 10,000 seeds per hectare (one hectare = 10,000 square meters), of which 6,000 germinate and about half survive after 3 years. 3,000 little trees on one hectare is a lot of biomass! And our tree-planting project covers 500 new hectares a year, so 1,500,000 saplings a year!
“Tree plantations are fragile.”
True. But a nuclear power plant shut down because of technical problems or because there isn’t enough water in the rivers to cool it down, is also fragile. A dam without water because it stops raining is just as fragile. A photovoltaic panel on a cloudy day is just as fragile. We have to stop believing that nature is more fragile than technology. Nature will outlive us, not our machines.
“Reducing CO2 emissions is better than planting trees.”
True and false. Of course it’s important not to continue emitting carbon into the atmosphere, because if we exceed 380 Gigatons of CO2 by 2032, the average temperature on earth will rise dangerously. So it’s important to give up fossil fuels, increase energy efficiency and consume less. But sooner or later, all that carbon will have to be removed from the atmosphere! And that can only be done with each tree planted.
