Ask Leo & LucyEthical and green livingWhat's the greenest tree for a garden?
Planting more trees is vital, but finding the most ecologically appropriate one entails some rooting around, says Lucy SiegleAmong those of us inclined to hug them, the status of trees is irrefutable. They are just so environmentally talented. A large one produces enough oxygen for the daily requirements of 10 people or enough paper for 270 paperbacks; they reduce the type of smog formation that causes asthma, and provide shade and habitat for flora and fauna. What more could we ask? Oh, just that in the absence of any silver-bullet technology such as carbon capture and storage, they also offset (rather urgently) our manmade greenhouse gas contributions. But there are only enough UK trees to sequester 4m tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere - less than 3 per cent of annual UK emissions. Working out the exact carbon-storage potential of each different make and model of tree is as confusing as filling out a tax return. Research points to the stone pine as an efficacious absorber, and Japanese scientists are working on a super-sequestering larch tree.
Pick a tree that will be easy to maintain (anything diva-ish might require lots of fertilisers and gas-guzzling pruning equipment, thus negating your carbon-storage gains). You also want a tree that's hardy enough to last - trees that are a decade old are the best carbon sinks. Anything that dies prematurely will just release the carbon (as CO2) back into the atmosphere.
It would also be good to plant more than one at a time. Arboreal enthusiasts talk about tree planting in families or communities. This is not just whimsy: trees do better if planted together, providing food and shade for each other. Research by Colorado University found that trees become more effective carbon sequesterers if they are 'interplanted' with a good nitrogen-fixing tree (see examples at cooltemperate.co.uk).
A good native site-specific deciduous broadleaf will be perfect (no leaf blowers in autumn, though. They are banned for the above reasons). At treetomydoor.com you can enter your postcode to find the best tree for soil type and climate. The Woodland Trust (treeforall.org.uk) is keen on collecting and growing trees from seed, especially native broadleaf trees that naturally occur in our environment. The important thing is that you begin your arboreal adventure as soon as possible, following an apparently well-known forestry maxim: 'The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next-best time is today.' A tree-hugging mixture of regret, hope and pragmatism.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJ2eq7azu82mnKesX2d9cYSOppirZ2NlfKbAx6KamqScnsOqusZnnpqqlJq7tA%3D%3D