The Best Trees to Plant to Fight Global Warming

While the Global Warming debate rages on within the political realm, solutions are already being investigated to help end any damage that humans may have caused to our environment. Technology, once responsible for the problem, could lead toward solving the climate changes that mankind have helped cause. However, there may exist a far better solution: to let nature be our tool to resolving this problem.

Trees, nature's way of absorbing carbon dioxide(CO2) while providing the world with vital oxygen, are considered one of the least expensive ways to regain the balance needed within nature to help end global warming. One extremely beneficial perk of using the planting of trees as a solution is that each and every one of us can contribute to this cause. Few global problems are ever so inexpensive and easy for everyone to participate in resolving.

Virtually all plant life helps to absorb and store carbon dioxide (the principal greenhouse gas) however trees are the largest and most efficient plants at doing this. Through a process called Carbon Sequestration trees are able to absorb CO2 and store it long-term. This greatly eases the concentration of CO2 within the atmosphere. Unfortunately man-kind has compounded the problem by massive deforestation all while increasingly pumping CO2 into the air. The solution would be to bring back our natural air-filtering systems by planting more trees.

But which trees are the best to plant?

According to most scientists studying this solution we should look at each specific location to guide us to which would be the most beneficial tree for that area. The US Department of Energy has said that while slow growing trees store more CO2 for a longer term, it is actually younger, quickly growing species of tree that provides the most efficient form of carbon sequestration.

Each location where the trees are to be planted has specific species that grow well in those very specific environments (location, soil, and climate). Foresters are then able to narrow down the species options to those that prove to maximize carbon retention in those conditions.