4 ms·

Your water needs might drop significantly once the forest is established. Depending on the trees, the established canopy might drop the evaporative losses dram

Your water needs might drop significantly once the forest is established. Depending on the trees, the established canopy might drop the evaporative losses dramatically.

dalbasal 6y ago
True, but I think the GP's danans overall point still stands. Household water consumption (and waste) just isn't that much. It takes a lot of households to support a pretty little forest. Maybe a mature canopy increases your efficiency by 50% or more, but you're still working with a pretty small volume of water.
- maerF0x0 6y ago
  also there is a systemic effect. More forests means more rain. Under the current models we send most of the rainfall immediately back into rivers + oceans. By creating inland forests we get mini little "oceans" to evaporate and move water for a 2nd rainfall. Each cycle the plants + ground hold onto a little, but mostly it can be evaporated and re-rained again and again. Deserts have the issue that they have little to hold onto the water, and to reevaporate it for subsequent rainfalls.
andai 6y ago
Maybe they emulate a canopy with some kind of tarp while the trees are growing?
- PakG1 6y ago
  Wouldn't a tarp get in the way of sunlight, stopping photosynthesis?
  - classfigment 6y ago
    We have a small 15m by 15m garden here in Kuwait (we have a similar climate to Egypt if not a little more hot). To keep planting all year long, we run a “protect from insects” fine mesh over the entire garden and it feels significantly cooler while still allowing sunlight through. Not scientific enough, but we never thought to check the temperature drop or the sunlight reduction. I may do that this summer just to see how much light is blocked.
  - gibolt 6y ago
    Plants don't use most of the sunlight that hits them, and too much will cause heat stress making them less efficient. The right tarp or net that lets through the most useful wavelengths seems to help more than hurt. A lot of places are starting to install solar over farm installations on a small scale. Yields are tending up while also generating electricity to run the operation
- ClumsyPilot 6y ago
  I think you are looking for a greenhouse, all evaporated water will condence inside and you will need dramatically less for your plants
  - londons_explore 6y ago
    You still need more than you'd expect. Plants need CO2 to live, and with CO2 at just 0.04% of atmospheric air, you need to let a lot of air (and accompanying water vapour) in and out of your greenhouse to let the plants have the CO2 they need. Or you burn natural gas to produce CO2 (and some water), but then your carbon sequestration goals go up in smoke...
hevelvarik 6y ago
How much of a difference could that make?

Your water needs might drop significantly once the forest is established. Depending on the trees, the established canopy might drop the evaporative losses dramatically.

dalbasal 6y ago

True, but I think the GP's danans overall point still stands. Household water consumption (and waste) just isn't that much. It takes a lot of households to support a pretty little forest. Maybe a mature canopy increases your efficiency by 50% or more, but you're still working with a pretty small volume of water.

maerF0x0 6y ago
also there is a systemic effect. More forests means more rain. Under the current models we send most of the rainfall immediately back into rivers + oceans. By creating inland forests we get mini little "oceans" to evaporate and move water for a 2nd rainfall. Each cycle the plants + ground hold onto a little, but mostly it can be evaporated and re-rained again and again. Deserts have the issue that they have little to hold onto the water, and to reevaporate it for subsequent rainfalls.

andai 6y ago

Maybe they emulate a canopy with some kind of tarp while the trees are growing?

PakG1 6y ago
Wouldn't a tarp get in the way of sunlight, stopping photosynthesis?
- classfigment 6y ago
  We have a small 15m by 15m garden here in Kuwait (we have a similar climate to Egypt if not a little more hot). To keep planting all year long, we run a “protect from insects” fine mesh over the entire garden and it feels significantly cooler while still allowing sunlight through. Not scientific enough, but we never thought to check the temperature drop or the sunlight reduction. I may do that this summer just to see how much light is blocked.
- gibolt 6y ago
  Plants don't use most of the sunlight that hits them, and too much will cause heat stress making them less efficient. The right tarp or net that lets through the most useful wavelengths seems to help more than hurt. A lot of places are starting to install solar over farm installations on a small scale. Yields are tending up while also generating electricity to run the operation
ClumsyPilot 6y ago
I think you are looking for a greenhouse, all evaporated water will condence inside and you will need dramatically less for your plants
- londons_explore 6y ago
  You still need more than you'd expect. Plants need CO2 to live, and with CO2 at just 0.04% of atmospheric air, you need to let a lot of air (and accompanying water vapour) in and out of your greenhouse to let the plants have the CO2 they need. Or you burn natural gas to produce CO2 (and some water), but then your carbon sequestration goals go up in smoke...

hevelvarik 6y ago

How much of a difference could that make?