Trees - More than just Carbon Offsetting
When most people thing about offsetting their carbon, their first thought is…plant a tree. Do people know how many trees and how long it takes for that tree to make an impact?
Planting trees isn’t a bad thing however research has showed that for us to only plant trees to regain the balance of climate change we are about a trillion short….If you think about how many are cut down each day to make way for farm land, wood for burning, wood for industrial and commercial use, we need to plant a lot more than this. This is the doom and gloom point however if everyone did their part, understood the task and hand and used tree plantation as one pillar of their carbon offsetting plans then we can strike the right balance.
There are tree plantation companies that work with certified tree projects. This allows individual and businesses to offset their carbon by planting trees. (On average, you will need to plant 6 trees to offset on tonne of carbon). The certificated trees are more expensive and can range from 5 Euros or pounds upwards. If you buy a bundle then the price tends to decrease. If you are looking to offset your carbon and just want to plant trees then the range of organisations that can help. The pricing is low and most businesses that plant the trees on your behalf will send a certificate to show where your trees are and the volume planted.
The wider benefits of tree plantation.
- Trees help to Improve the quality of life. Green spaces help you both physically and mentally.
- Trees give wildlife a home and protection
- Trees help to improve the quality of the soil.
- Trees help to prevent flooding and soil erosion.
- They can create savings or an extra income for people by harvesting timber, fruit, nuts or by using their wood for fuel.
- Trees create shade and shelter for crops and livestock, and improve livestock wellbeing too.
- Thousands of wildlife species depend on trees for food and shelter.
In short, tree plantation is a positive thing to do for individuals and businesses. We need to see that Carbon Offsetting is more than tree plantation but it is an important part of the mix.