The ultimate carbon capture solution

Dr Gary Robertshaw

Looking around the moors in the North of England its striking how windswept and desolate the landscape looks. But it hasn't always been like that. England was once covered by lush forests after the last ice age, populated by oak, hazel, birch, pine and many other types of trees. Much of this was cleared in the name of economic development from early settlers using it for sustainable pasture and cultivation to modern machinery destroying huge swathes such as that for the HS2 project.

Sadly, according to the Woodland Trust, the UK now has only around 13% of its land covered by trees. This is woefully inadequate and far short of the 19% target the government has set by 2050 to meet its net-zero climate change targets.

Whilst there are many well-intentioned and indeed highly effective initiatives underway such as the offshore windfarm boom, it still remains the case that trees are one of the simplest and most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change. Trees can be considered the ultimate carbon capture method; a young wood with mixed native species can lock up to 400 tonnes of carbon per hectare (or 10,000 square metres). Tree planting has also been shown to be highly effective against flooding and reducing pollution.

It's both amazing and depressing to know that such a simple and highly effective method is at our disposal, allowing us to meet our net-zero target in the UK, yet its not widely acknowledged. The ultimate carbon capture solution - plant more trees (many more!)