Could state governments pass laws to plant trees in the medians of all there highways?

Question

Wouldn't this help with global warming? Wouldn't it be especially effective because of the proximity to a large source of emmisions?

Answer 1

Many governments have such laws, or at least plans. But, no, it is no solution for global warming. Cities do it for shade and beauty and soil erosion reasons. And no, location does not matter at all. Global warming is a global problem, that is why it has the word "global" in the name. CO2 emitted in one location gets transported all around the world by winds in just a few days. And trees are no help at all. People hear that trees take up CO2 and release oxygen and then do not study more about the process and so do not know the full facts. Trees may be a small, temporary help, but too small and too temporary. When the trees die of old age, they will decay and release all the CO2 they took out of the air right back into the air. And there is not enough land in the world to plant enough trees to take up all the CO2 we are emitting. And not enough water to irrigate them all to keep them alive.

Answer 2

If you uplanted trees along the medians of highways--how would they be watered? They require soil to grow, where would this come from? The root structure of a tree is generally 3-5 times wider than the tree is tall, what happens when the trees get large and the root system begins to mess up the asphalt? Are trees likely to survive when everytime it snow they will be sprayed down with magnesium chloride when they do snow removal?

Carbon dioxide is what is known as a global pollutant. This means that regardless of where it is emitted, its effects will disperse throughout the planet. Trees sequester carbon at the same rate, how near or far the source of atmospheric carbon-biogenic or anthropogenic does not play into this. A tree next to a highway would not sequester any more carbon than a tree in the middle of a park.

Urban forestry is a complex issue that is starting to generate a lot of attention. It is very important to plant the right trees for your climate, in locations where they will thrive, and also to have a variety of species so that the entire tree population is not vulnerable to common diseases. Some trees need lots of water, but others do not. To see how much really goes into a tree project check this site out:

http://www.instituteforenvironmentalsolutions.org/treeproject.html

Answer 3

Until you crash your car into it. Many states have highway planting programs. In busier areas the problem really is that people will run them over and be injured.