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by fit2rule 2547 days ago
Not so difficult. I'm sure most people could plant 10 trees a month, given the motivation.

Trouble is, how are we going to get people motivated to do this?

4 comments

I can easily come close to 50 times that in a month (a given being that not all the seeds I throw around become real trees, so let's say it's 5 times). Doing so on a piece of land that won't get it's trees cut in short order is however next to impossible.
Make it mandatory (and pay) for schools to ensure that each secondary school or higher kid plants 10 trees a year. The motivation multiplier on the rest of society from this policy will take care of the rest.
Used to be a thing in Norway until the 70ies or early 80ies. Now we Norwegians are busily blaming ourselves for planting Sitka spruce instead of native species, but I guess the right answer might not be to stop planting trees but to be a little more considerate in what we plant and where.
What's wrong with Sitka spruce?
Replaces local species.
No, the problem is those trees need to stay alive and grow and not be burned for the carbon capture actually work out.
They could be cut down and turned into cross laminated timber buildings. If the trees are left to grow old and die naturally, does the stored carbon get re-emitted as a bi-product of decomposition? EDIT: According to the discussion below, yes it does.
Planting does not guarantee that a tree can live