Global Warming

Source: www.tcia.org

Global warming poses potential significant problems for landscapes. Predictions related to extreme and unpredictable weather include coastal flooding, regional droughts, species extinctions, ecosystem disruptions and reduced plant pollination. These issues are serious – and many land use managers around the world believe they are already witnessing such effects.

Trees and shrubs are unique among plants in that they have woody stems and roots that get bigger every year for decades or even centuries, making them excellent long-term storage sites for carbon. Since wood is composed primarily of carbon derived from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, trees are actually solidified, long-lasting lumps (beautiful nonetheless) of carbon.

A planting of 50 million trees in urban areas next year could result in the sequestration of approximately 170 million tons of carbon dioxide after 50 years. Tree care professionals recognize that growing trees in the suburban and urban landscape presents a vast opportunity to draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Trees can also play other indirect roles in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the heat of summer, about half of U.S. electrical production powers air conditioners, resulting in annual power plant emissions of 100 million tons of carbon. Trees planted to shade buildings, cooling the air through transpiration, can reduce this energy use by up to 70 percent. Conversely, well-placed trees blocking frigid winter winds can reduce heating energy use by 30 percent. These are just a few examples of how trees can collaterally offset carbon dioxide emissions.

The simple act of mulching around a tree can help conserve water, moderate soil temperatures and add significant amounts of carbon to the soil. As the mulch breaks down, it contributes nutrients for the tree, reducing the need for polluting, energy-intensive fertilizers.

Trees play an important part in reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas reduction. Few tools in the global warming fight provide such diverse, long-term benefits at such a low cost.

But it’s not too late to turn things around. The green industry can make a palpable and substantial difference. The perception is that reducing global warming requires sacrifice and extra work, but when it comes to landscape management, the reverse is often true.

The use of organic fertilizers, appropriate biological inoculants, compost and mulch are among the easy and effective methods these industries can embrace to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and store significant amounts of carbon. Not only are these practices ecologically sound, they are often more efficient, productive and healthy than conventional approaches.

For example, our culture’s obsession with perfectly green and manicured lawns notwithstanding, replacing large expanses of intensively managed turf with environmental-friendly native grasses and plants can be safe, sustainable, less pest and disease-prone and equally beautiful, while reducing the time and expense of mowing, fertilizing and watering.