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> an average person from a high carbon output country needs about 600-1000 trees to offset their carbon output. This seems really doable for the average person

> an average person from a high carbon output country needs about 600-1000 trees to offset their carbon output. This seems really doable for the average person!

dleslie 7y ago
It's far less than what a professional tree planter will manage in a single day in Canada. It's definitely possible for any healthy adult.
- jerkstate 7y ago
  Keep in mind that the 600-1000 number is for "tree age 0" which is a sapling about 6 feet (two meters) tall - the germination/survival rate for planting smaller saplings or seeds is much lower.
  - dleslie 7y ago
    Yep, when my wife tree planted she'd carry bags of those on her hips. One member of her team planted a tree every seven seconds, while they were working in BC.
    - dleslie 7y ago
      Whoops, my tired morning self read "6 inches" and not "6 feet". That's a hell of an error. Sorry folks.
guelo 7y ago
Most people don't have acres of land to plant trees in.
- dsr_ 7y ago
  Which is why you outsource the tree planting to a place that has room for trees -- and it's more efficient because they can grow trees better than you can, anyway. nationalforests.org, the Arbor Day Foundation... there are probably lots of good options.
  - guelo 7y ago
    nationalforests.org does reforesting of recently burned forests which are probably burning more frequently due to climate change. I don't think replacing forests that were alive when you were born should count as offsetting your personal CO2 emissions, if the idea is to have an actual effect it has to be new trees in new forests.
    - sokoloff 7y ago
      If it's a tree/forest that wouldn't have otherwise existed but for your donation/their action, I think it should count. Whether it's at a lat/long that previously held a tree or not is largely irrelevant when considering whether your action was helpful or neutral.
    - exhilaration 7y ago
      On a related note, today's New York Times has an article about the recent fires in California. Near the end the author states that the 2018 Camp Fire released ...an estimated 3.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gases that, as seems to happen at least once every fire season lately, was more than enough to obliterate the progress made by all of California’s climate-change policies in a typical year. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/07/31/magazine/paradise-camp-fire-california.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/07/31/magazine/para...
      - lostlogin 7y ago
        I’d assume that the following spring and for the next year or 3, there would be a huge growth increase in the area due to ash, light and space.
- FerretFred 7y ago
  Nope! I'm growing Goat Willow, Cherry and a rescue-acorn that's now a 4 inch oak sapling, all in a small space.

> an average person from a high carbon output country needs about 600-1000 trees to offset their carbon output. This seems really doable for the average person!

dleslie 7y ago

It's far less than what a professional tree planter will manage in a single day in Canada. It's definitely possible for any healthy adult.

jerkstate 7y ago
Keep in mind that the 600-1000 number is for "tree age 0" which is a sapling about 6 feet (two meters) tall - the germination/survival rate for planting smaller saplings or seeds is much lower.
- dleslie 7y ago
  Yep, when my wife tree planted she'd carry bags of those on her hips. One member of her team planted a tree every seven seconds, while they were working in BC.
  - dleslie 7y ago
    Whoops, my tired morning self read "6 inches" and not "6 feet". That's a hell of an error. Sorry folks.

guelo 7y ago

Most people don't have acres of land to plant trees in.

dsr_ 7y ago
Which is why you outsource the tree planting to a place that has room for trees -- and it's more efficient because they can grow trees better than you can, anyway. nationalforests.org, the Arbor Day Foundation... there are probably lots of good options.
- guelo 7y ago
  nationalforests.org does reforesting of recently burned forests which are probably burning more frequently due to climate change. I don't think replacing forests that were alive when you were born should count as offsetting your personal CO2 emissions, if the idea is to have an actual effect it has to be new trees in new forests.
  - sokoloff 7y ago
    If it's a tree/forest that wouldn't have otherwise existed but for your donation/their action, I think it should count. Whether it's at a lat/long that previously held a tree or not is largely irrelevant when considering whether your action was helpful or neutral.
  - exhilaration 7y ago
    On a related note, today's New York Times has an article about the recent fires in California. Near the end the author states that the 2018 Camp Fire released ...an estimated 3.6 million metric tons of greenhouse gases that, as seems to happen at least once every fire season lately, was more than enough to obliterate the progress made by all of California’s climate-change policies in a typical year. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/07/31/magazine/paradise-camp-fire-california.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/07/31/magazine/para...
    - lostlogin 7y ago
      I’d assume that the following spring and for the next year or 3, there would be a huge growth increase in the area due to ash, light and space.
FerretFred 7y ago
Nope! I'm growing Goat Willow, Cherry and a rescue-acorn that's now a 4 inch oak sapling, all in a small space.