NATURE CONSER VATION\\

Plant Trees to Save the Environment

Trees combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, contribute to
soil health, retain water, and cool overheated urban areas. The earth needs more! Whether as a
family project or an individual one, the point is to plant!" It is not merely that the world is
bettered by saving, replacing, and multiplying trees. It is that an aim of this kind becomes an
impulse towards developing a mood and an outlook which will increasingly make it natural to
think for the future, for other people, for generations yet unborn. Planting a tree is a symbol of a
looking-forward kind of action; looking forward, yet not too distantly." —Richard St. Barbe
Baker.

Imagine a man who for 92 years walked the earth, often broke but never lost, inspiring others to
plant trees. Who organized 3,000 Kenyan warriors into a new secret society, Men of the Trees.
Who started reforestation projects in Nigeria, India, New Zealand, and Palestine. Who went to
court to save the California redwoods—twice, at 30-year intervals. Who organized the Green
Front, an international effort to stop the advancing Sahara desert with a great wall of trees.
Whose inspiration and guidance were, by one estimate, responsible for the planting of over 1
trillion trees.

For Richard St. Barbe Baker (1889–1982), a healer of the earth, trees of every kind became his
extended family. Inspired by childhood experiences of bonding with trees, this British idealist
trained to be a professional forester. When the bureaucratic nature of his occupation frustrated
him, he struck out on his own. Baker spent the rest of his life traveling the globe organizing
planting projects and, in speeches and books, raising public awareness of the need for more trees.
Today, we are all called upon to walk in Baker's footsteps. One goal of Earth Day 1990 is to
have every one of us plant at least one tree. That's a good goal to start with. Some are already
going further. Scientist James Lovelock, who originated the Gaia theory that the earth operates
like a living organism, has, with his family, planted 20,000 trees. All of us concerned about the
earth could consider, like Lovelock and Baker, putting our spades where our worries are. Why?
Since trees absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, they are essential for combating the
global warming effect being created by excess carbon dioxide generation. Since they retain water
in the soil and transpire moisture into the air, they are—in part—responsible for the ongoing
existence of many springs, the even flow of rivers, and the formation of rain clouds. Since their
innumerable roots hold soil in place and their bodies block wind, they are the best of all means
for stopping erosion. Indeed, since they continually pull nutrients from the subsoils and drop
organic matter to the earth, they are unparalleled soil builders as well. But that isn't all. Consider
that: A single mature tree absorbs around 13 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, while a younger,
actively growing tree may absorb up to 26 pounds of CO2, per year—approximately five tons
per acre of trees. About half of the weight of any tree is carbon. To maximize the amount of
carbon dioxide absorbed, trees should be planted that gain weight the fastest. Depending on the
trees' densities, these may or may not be the same ones that gain diameter the fastest. Some
common trees that "bulk up" quickly (in various parts of the country) include river birch,
sycamore, tulip poplar, willow oak, red maple (commercial varieties), green ash, and black gum.
In the South, try lobolly pine; in the West, Douglas fir; and in the Deep South and the tropics,
leucaena. If in doubt, plant any native species that generally do well locally. Reducing
atmospheric CO2 through tree planting costs about 0.3¢ to 1.3¢ per pound. Doing the same
thing, by improving the energy efficiency of appliances costs about 2.5¢ for each pound of CO2;
and by improving electrical supply efficiency, about 10¢ per pound. While tree planting can
make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 buildup, it won't solve the problem, not unless
we all turn into Johnny Apple seeds. For it to do so, we would have to replant all the planet's
deforested areas—or double the growth rate of existing forests—to compensate for humanity's
excess carbon dioxide production. It's been estimated that a typical family of four would need to
plant six acres of trees to offset its CO2 generation. In many locations, the cooling effects of
trees can be more important than their ability to absorb carbon. Using landscape trees to shade
buildings (and thus decrease the need for air-conditioning) results in CO2, emission reductions
that are 15 times as great as the amount of the trees alone can absorb. Indeed, shade trees on the
south and west sides of a house can lower its air-conditioning bills by up to half. Cities are
particularly important locales for new tree-planting efforts. All that concrete and asphalt creates a
"heat island" that makes cities 5° to 9° warmer than surrounding areas, so the cooling effects of
trees can be especially helpful.