One of the major global concerns today is the issue of climate change- specifically climate change caused by carbon emissions. There are ways individual people can work to offset carbon emissions. Individuals can take action in their own communities to implement the oldest carbon capture technology in the world- trees.
What trees do for our planet is amazing- According to tenmilliontrees.org, the average tree can store twice the average CO2 emissions that the average car produces in a year- or- 48 pounds of carbon a year. Trees also provide habitat for many species and preserve biodiversity. Trees are also planted in efforts to stop and even reverse the process of desertification- according to Smithsonian Magazine there is an emerging mosaic of plants and trees provided by the sustainable land use practices of the farmers there that is slowing the progress of the Sahara desert. Trees are guardians of a healthy ecosystem and trees (and moss, but that’s another story) will be a key player in the healing and then sustainability of our natural world.
There has been an ongoing discussion of the viability of planting trees as a solution to climate change, but the Swiss Institute of Integrative Biology published a study in 2019 that talks about how planting 1 trillion trees (about 500 million hectares of land worth) would greatly reduce risks of climate change and CO2 emissions. That sounds like a lot, but if you consider that 13 BILLION hectares of forest area are lost to agriculture (www.foa.org), mainly pasture land for livestock- 500 million hectares doesn’t seem like so much to ask for.
There are currently many tree planting initiatives- Trees for the Future, The Nature Conservancy, One Tree Planted and The National Forest Foundation to name a few popular options. However, you’ll find that in every state there are more localized initiatives for tree planting. In the Twin Cities one such is initiative is Tree Trust.
Tree Trust is a non-profit Twin Cities organization that developed due to the rise in losses of trees due to Dutch Elm disease. Not only do they remove dead and diseased trees but they plant new trees in their place. They also hire those in need for these jobs as a response to unemployment in the Twin Cities. Tree Trust also hosts volunteer group tree plantings in the Twin Cities to maintain and add to the canopy in urban areas and teach individuals about planting, growing, and sustainability. Due to Covid there are some restrictions on volunteer work but you are still able to sign up for events if you are interested in planting trees, or if you prefer you can donate! You can find more information on their website at https://treetrust.org/