How many trees to plant to “refresh” the planet
How many trees to plant to “refresh” the planet
Trees play an undeniable role in the world’s ecosystems.
The main functions performed by these living organisms can be summarized in 10 fundamental actions.
– Oxygen production: through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) and release oxygen (O₂), which is essential for the respiration of living beings.
– Carbon sequestration: trees store carbon in their tissues, helping to reduce the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere and thus mitigating the effects of climate change.
– Climate Regulation: Forests influence the local and global climate through the regulation of temperature and humidity. Trees provide shade and cool the air through evapotranspiration.
– Water Cycle: Trees play a key role in the water cycle, retaining water in the soil and facilitating its infiltration, thus reducing the risk of flooding and improving water quality.
– Habitat and Biodiversity: Trees provide habitat and food resources for a wide range of plant and animal species, supporting biodiversity. Forests are among the most species-rich ecosystems in the world.
– Soil Protection: Tree roots stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. Forest cover protects the soil from the direct impact of rainfall.
– Air purification: trees filter and absorb various molecules, such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter, improving air quality.
– Cultural and Recreational Value: Trees and forests provide aesthetic, cultural, and recreational benefits for people. Urban green spaces contribute to the psychological and physical well-being of the population.
– Nutrient Cycling: Trees contribute to the nutrient cycling through the decomposition of leaves and branches, returning essential nutrients to the soil and supporting soil fertility.
– Support Ecosystem Services: In addition to the specific roles mentioned above, trees support a wide range of ecosystem services that are crucial for ecosystem health and human well-being.
With reference then to the greater capacity of trees to absorb CO2, compared to shrub species, and even more so to herbaceous species, it is evident that tree planting can represent a significant factor in climate mitigation, air quality, etc.
An adult tree can absorb a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), but the exact amount varies depending on the tree species, environmental conditions, and its health and size. On average, it is estimated that an adult tree can absorb between 10 and 40 kg of CO2 per year.
An adult tree, under average conditions, can absorb approximately 22 kg of CO2 per year.
However, trees in mature forests can absorb greater quantities of CO2 due to their density and species diversity.
But trees play an important role in the city. These plants, in urban areas, despite being exposed to greater environmental stress, play a crucial role in the absorption of CO2 and in the mitigation of air pollution.
Starting from all these generic and synthetic considerations, it is clear that these species can play an important role in restoring the ecological and entropic balance of the planet to the conditions of, at least, a century ago.
In this regard, a 2019 study demonstrated the enormous potential of carbon sequestration operated by these plants.
The study showed that in order to “refresh” the planet, a trillion new trees would be needed planted by 2050.
But to avoid any misunderstanding, given that in this era social media tends to simplify (and often trivialize) concepts, the issue is much more complex.
In fact, there is a risk that the mere idea of planting trees will lead public opinion to think that this is enough to resolve the climate crisis and that all the epochal transformations that we should impose on our existence to make them more sustainable are no longer necessary.
How much more false and misleading.
Certainly the presence of a greater quantity of tree species would allow us to carry out all those ecological, climatic and social roles summarized above.
However, trees (like all plants) are not individuals who ever live a life separated from their context. These establish very complex links (which science itself has yet to largely explore) with the rest of living organisms (including human beings). Furthermore, every plant grows and lives well in some contexts and in some associations, so if we thought about planting trees indiscriminately, without taking into account the particular habitat, we would risk, in some cases, a worse remedy.
Just think of some important habitats for reproduction, such as certain clearings, where birds must find space, light and certain conditions to lay. The idea of planting trees in these clearings would trigger an ecological domino effect much worse than the remedy itself.
Obviously the examples are much more complex and are explored in depth by experts in the sector, such as naturalists, agronomists, foresters, botanists, etc. which, in short, study potential habitats and vegetation and can therefore establish not only if and when it is possible to insert plant species (regardless of whether they are arboreal, shrubby or herbaceous species) but in what manner, associations, concentrations, etc.
In fact, as mentioned, plants establish a whole series of complex bonds which, only together, guarantee the aforementioned functions.
We can define the set of plant species, animals, fungi, bacteria, viruses, etc., as the cells of a much more complex organism which is the ecosphere, made up, among other things, of an aerial part and an internal part (the soil) which, in continuous interaction, constantly exchange the three forms of the substance of which the universe (and therefore our planet) is made, namely: information, energy and matter.
The same calculations on absorbed CO2, O2 emission, or other typical functions, change considerably by modifying a whole series of values. Furthermore, the second law of thermodynamics which, in a nutshell, tells us that in any energy system, including an ecosystem, entropy (a function linked to the time dimension and disorder of a system) tends to grow infinitely.
However, the more diversified the systems are (therefore not only the ecological ones but also the social ones), the better they dissipate energy, producing less entropy. In short, they are much more stable and “fresh”.
This, in very simple words, means that planting trees is not enough to save the planet from boiling over; we need to create much more efficient dissipative systems (ecosystems that are more biodiverse and related to the planet’s habitats and social ecosystems that can be synchronized with these and do not interfere).
This is equivalent to saying that our social models must resemble ecological systems, they must synchronize with them, following a very specific “software” whose copyright and license is owned only by nature and which is neither alterable nor ignorable.
In a nutshell, and at the end of this article, when it is stated that: planting trees is enough to save the planet, we do a disservice not only to the knowledge of ordinary people but also to their consciences.
To save the planet we need a conversion of our ways of living, seeing, moving, thinking, doing politics, etc.
We must carefully study nature’s software, which gives us its copyright at no cost, and implement it in all things and everyday activities.
Planting trees is certainly a meritorious work and must be done according to certain criteria (provided in the software); however, it is even more important to understand the principles of this software. Only in this way would ecological and human ecosystems be safeguarded for a much longer historical period because we would produce less entropy which, coincidentally, is the function that generates the passage of time.
Quantum mechanics and thermodynamics docet.
Guido Bissanti