To tree or not to tree?

Question

I work for a company which seems to believe that flying around the country on a regular basis is the only option that they have to get our shops (retail company) running properly.

My question is...

Is planting dozens of tree's the best way to go about off setting our emissions? I still believe prevention is better than cure but not everyone believes that this is possible.

What other options do we have? I have heard that the benefit of planting tree's may not be the long term solution as they die and release the carbon again. Is this true?

Answer 1

Those planes are going to fly weather your on them or not. You are not contributing to global warming.

Plant a tree if that makes you feel better, but it doesn't have any impact on the climate.

Answer 2

I am glad you are thinking about this issue and have recognised the tree problem.

Please keep searching for a solution because trees are just a means of postponing the CO2 problem. The carbon they take up while growing is given off when they die and is added to the carbon given off by the planting and harvesting operations. So the only way trees can make a contribution is if we plant far more than we use or allow to die. And that process would have to end sometime.

A better way of offsetting might be to install sustainable energy generators (for example solar) and energy saving measures in every shop. Money spent that way would have a long pay-back but would help offset your flights. You will still need to top up your generated electricity from the grid but you could buy from generators who use wind, wave, tidal, hydro or solar sources of energy.

Another option is tele-conferencing which might help reduce the need for flights.

And finally it is well worth questioning whether flying is the most cost effective way of getting around the country. In the UK it is almost never the best when you take account of the time taken getting to and from the airport and passing through controls. Our trains take us directly into the city centres and provide a much better environment in which to do some work while travelling.

Best wishes

Answer 3

A very good question, like yourself I too believe that prevention is better than cure.

Tree planting can, in the right circumstances, be a good way to offset emissions but it needs to be done properly. Planting any old tree on some spare bit of ground may not have the desired result, it could even cause more harm than good.

If your company is going to adopt a policy of offsetting then they should engage an established company to do it and ensure that the planting is carried out in the tropical regions.

Large trees with large leaves, and fruit trees are generally better at sequestering CO2 than other trees. As you correctly pointed out, trees release the stored carbon when they degrade but these trees have the greatest net reduction. During their lifetime they convert more carbon than they release and the correct trees can offset emissions by 40kg a year per tree.

The reason for planting in the tropics is that trees affect Earth's albedo (reflectivity). They absorb the heat from the sun and re-release it as a different kind of heat - the kind that gets trapped in the atmopshere by the greenhouse gases (solar radiation has a much shorter wavelength than thermal radiation). Planting in cold and temperate regions blocks Earth's natural reflectivity (especially when it snows) and so more radiation is converted into the wrong type.

Answer 4

Good for you for your environmental stewardship. Planting trees is an excellent idea except the location of the trees is important as well as the type. I would suggest you contact the required landscaping professionals to ensure your landscaping is functional and appropriate for the area.

I have inspected 500,000 dollar homes where it is so hot and uncomfortable, the owners live in the basement in the summer. I left that inspection to look at a 22,000 dollar mobile where the senior citizen had trees on the east and west exposure. His mobile home was cool, comfortable and used no air conditioning. I would have failed the expensive home and passed the mobile.

Get your company to consider painting their buildings or using a low-e paint, UV resistant coating or shade. UV is actually taking buildings outside their design temperature by causing them to generate extreme heat. The heat generated can be close to boiling temperature and the atmospheric heat gain is contributing to lower air pressure which will change weather, warm the globe and change climate.

Go to Go to http://www.thermoguy.com/globalwarming-heatgain.html and see what the world has been missing on the issue. You would never think of tree shade being important in the winter? It is if your building is finished with absorbent exterior finishes.

Good for you, I hope your company employs the same respect for the environment because we can't live without it.

Answer 5

Planting trees is a very good way to help the environment. It is true that some people don't believe that global warming is a threat, or even real at all. However, there are plenty of people that do believe in global warming, and that there is a way of preventing it. If you campaign and advertise about planting trees to help the environment could also help your business. I think trees do release some of their carbon min oxide back into the atmosphere, but trees help exponentially.

Answer 6

Al Gore flies all around the world promoting himself. Ask him.

Seriously, planting trees is, in theory, a good idea because trees pull a lot of CO2 out of the atmosphere, but it's a long term solution.

Answer 7

i think it does help a bit but it helps the guilty conscience more. i agree with you why start caring after the damage is done! SAVE THE TREES!!!!!! : )