Planting trees to fight climate change?

[ns_sheep]

I see a lot of countries worldwide planting trees to absorb carbon. I wonder how much thought has actually gone into this. Canada's forests actually emit more carbon than they capture, and I'm sure it's the same in many other countries.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-forests-carbon-sink-or-source-1.5011490

 

[Yale]

I think planting trees is more of a distraction.

There’s far bigger issues to sort out!

 

[Yale]

I see a lot of countries worldwide planting trees to absorb carbon. I wonder how much thought has actually gone into this. Canada's forests actually emit more carbon than they capture, and I'm sure it's the same in many other countries.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-forests-carbon-sink-or-source-1.5011490

Out of interest you must keep sheep,how many ,breeds etc.?

 

[Ffermer Bach]

trees only keep the carbon while they are growing, at some point they are burnt or left to rot, so they don't actually remove carbon, regenerative agriculture on the other hand, when soil organic matter rises by 3 or 4% actually locks the extra carbon in the soil, this is why all this "become Vegan" annoys me so much, because to raise the organic matter animals have to be integrated into the farming system, what we need to do is eat meat that is pasture fed, not fattened in a feed lot on grain.

 

[ns_sheep]

Out of interest you must keep sheep,how many ,breeds etc.?

About 800 ewes, mostly NCC, a few Scottish Blackface and working on some British Milksheep mules (quality BFL tups not available locally).

 

[som farmer]

the carbon problem could be helped by less exotic holidays abroad, but, of course general public wouldn't stand for anything curtailing their foreign holidays, so farmers are an easy target to blame.

 

[ollie989898]

I see a lot of countries worldwide planting trees to absorb carbon. I wonder how much thought has actually gone into this. Canada's forests actually emit more carbon than they capture, and I'm sure it's the same in many other countries.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-forests-carbon-sink-or-source-1.5011490

I think the Canadians have a lot to think about, I read somewhere British Columbia is being deforested nearly as fast as the Amazon.

 

[adzy]

I see a lot of countries worldwide planting trees to absorb carbon. I wonder how much thought has actually gone into this. Canada's forests actually emit more carbon than they capture, and I'm sure it's the same in many other countries.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-forests-carbon-sink-or-source-1.5011490

Shhhh! Logic and hatefacts will get you in trouble with the eco loonies! Don't question the orthodoxy. Some snake oil salesman (politician/activist/cod scientist*) said it was the right thing to do.

*delete as appropriate

 

[DaveGrohl]

Well I never, planting trees isn't the answer after all........

Anyone with half a brain should've worked out that much of what are "accepted facts" around climate change and CO2 emissions aren't actually "facts" at all. Trees are simply part of the natural/normal carbon cycle, there's no net effect either way over the appropriate timescale. Anything happening above the Earth's surface due to biological life has been happening since time began, what is fairly new is mankind digging up fossil fuels and burning them in vast quantities. But then the media don't want to use half a brain.......

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I think the Canadians have a lot to think about, I read somewhere British Columbia is being deforested nearly as fast as the Amazon.

having written what I posted above does not mean that I think we should cut the trees down, another interesting slant on trees/agricultural land. Lots of flash floods in Wales last night. Woodland infiltrates water far faster than pasture, so therefore less run off, less flash flooding, however reading Gabe Browns book, after his farming raised the organic matter in his soil, the infiltration rate of his soil increased by an amazing rate, so maybe regenerative agriculture could also reduce flooding, but as others have posted the media (and especially social media) does not like nuanced answers

 

[egbert]

I see a lot of countries worldwide planting trees to absorb carbon. I wonder how much thought has actually gone into this. Canada's forests actually emit more carbon than they capture, and I'm sure it's the same in many other countries.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canada-forests-carbon-sink-or-source-1.5011490

I can't vouch for the veracity of the site you link, although the huge area of young 2nd growth forest must be absorbing monster levels of carbon - I am aware of the bug problems you have.
Mind, catching up with the carbon released from the last 100 years of harvest will occupy Canada for some while.

As a rule, the growing is great...it is indeed grabbing carbon right out of the air. But, as said elsewhere, it's what you do with that timber once its grown that is the problem.
Unless we take real steps to lock it away long term, on a geological scale, growing trees is a drop in the ocean.

I haven't started to look at the numbers, but it occurred to me, when listening to some Rsole celeb claiming its OK for them to fly everywhere, cos they're 'planting trees' ....given the amount of carbon we're releasing by burning fossil fuels, I suspect the world isn't nearly big enough to use tree growth as the solution.
(I'll do some maths when I've a mind)

Anyway...the big questions are
1, is Frazer Hunter still living?
2. do you ken Frank Foster?

 

[marco]

Maybe regreening (grass and trees) all the tracts of land that have turned to desert in africa and Asia in the last century would soak up huge amounts of carbon and return ecosystem function to those areas while bringing the local population out of poverty.

As said above changing our farming practices and increasing soil organic matter while at the same time reducing the need for artificial inputs will improve ecosystem function, water infiltration, water holding capacity, nutrient holding capacity etc etc.

If all the worlds soil were 8-10% som I'd say the oceans would actually drop, and we would have an endless supply of grass fed beef. Win win win win

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Well I thought that trees used up a huge amount of water.... aren't we told the the world is getting warmer and drier ?
Just wondering ........

 

[ns_sheep]

I can't vouch for the veracity of the site you link, although the huge area of young 2nd growth forest must be absorbing monster levels of carbon - I am aware of the bug problems you have.
Mind, catching up with the carbon released from the last 100 years of harvest will occupy Canada for some while.

As a rule, the growing is great...it is indeed grabbing carbon right out of the air. But, as said elsewhere, it's what you do with that timber once its grown that is the problem.
Unless we take real steps to lock it away long term, on a geological scale, growing trees is a drop in the ocean.

I haven't started to look at the numbers, but it occurred to me, when listening to some Rsole celeb claiming its OK for them to fly everywhere, cos they're 'planting trees' ....given the amount of carbon we're releasing by burning fossil fuels, I suspect the world isn't nearly big enough to use tree growth as the solution.
(I'll do some maths when I've a mind)

Anyway...the big questions are
1, is Frazer Hunter still living?
2. do you ken Frank Foster?

To answer your big questions.... Yes, I know Frank Foster, he farms about an hour and a half from me. Not sure about Frazer Hunter....

 

[egbert]

To answer your big questions.... Yes, I know Frank Foster, he farms about an hour and a half from me. Not sure about Frazer Hunter....

Frank has got some banging good bullocks, and seems pretty switched on regarding the keeping of them, and marketing beef. Frazer was on Cape Breton milking cows about 30 years ago - and working for gov agri people.

 

[ns_sheep]

Frank has got some banging good bullocks, and seems pretty switched on regarding the keeping of them, and marketing beef. Frazer was on Cape Breton milking cows about 30 years ago - and working for gov agri people.

Frank spends most of his time marketing his beef now, and doing a fine job of it. I've heard of Frazer but don't think I've ever met him.

 

[egbert]

Frank spends most of his time marketing his beef now, and doing a fine job of it. I've heard of Frazer but don't think I've ever met him.

check out Franks stock when you get the chance - a mix of 3-4 native breeds, (closed I think), selected on basic function stuff, and living mostly off grass.

Frazer was/is a lovely guy, nice family/kids too. Daresay they're still about somewhere. (I pitched up with them for a coupla days before hitching the length of the TransCanada)

 

[Irish NZ]

A forestry boom is turning Ireland into an ecological dead zone | Mary Colwell

Susbsidised spruce plantations cover vast tracts of the Irish countryside. They are driving bird species to extinction, says author Mary Colwell

www.theguardian.com

It's just an opinion piece in the guardian but makes a fair point.

Nz government is on the same bandwagon planning on planting 1 billion trees. Trouble is they're plant all non native trees. So just converting farm land to forestry blocks. It might be something if it was being reverted to native bush but what happens in 25 years when it comes to harvesting.

I know from from farming on some converted land the amount of soil carbon sequestered by pine forest is 5/8's of bugger all. Were as the land converted 20years ago has to foot of rich black topsoil.... make of that what you will.

 

[DartmoorEwe]

Well I thought that trees used up a huge amount of water.... aren't we told the the world is getting warmer and drier ?
Just wondering ........

Nothing "uses up" water. The trees just intercept it, hold it and then release it later. ... And so does grass, and soil organic matter, and peat bogs and all sorts of living stuff. Desert and bare ground, not so much.

 

[ollie989898]

having written what I posted above does not mean that I think we should cut the trees down, another interesting slant on trees/agricultural land. Lots of flash floods in Wales last night. Woodland infiltrates water far faster than pasture, so therefore less run off, less flash flooding, however reading Gabe Browns book, after his farming raised the organic matter in his soil, the infiltration rate of his soil increased by an amazing rate, so maybe regenerative agriculture could also reduce flooding, but as others have posted the media (and especially social media) does not like nuanced answers

You mentioned Canada and it chimed with me that they were recently blamed for the rate of tree loss from logging due to the worldwide demand for almost all timber products.