We all have family, going back generations from other lands. One way to honor them is to plant a tree. Here are some celebration options:
- Plant a tree in dedication to your ancestors
- Plant a tree as a family in honor of your family
- Plant a tree for every member of your family, give them your names, and watch them grow
- Plant a tree because you feel it is the right thing to do
It is. It feels good to watch something grow. Plant a tree and help our planet at the same time. Nature is the ultimate recycler. Everything in the natural world is recycled, and trees play an important role in that work. Rivers of carbon molecules (slow and fast ones) flow over, in, and through terrestrial Earth, resting randomly along the way in holding tanks we call “sinks”. Rocks, the oceans, our atmosphere, trees, plants, soils, and fossil fuels are carbon sinks; they capture and store carbon molecules for a while as the carbon rivers flow through them.
In “normal” times this arrangement worked perfectly, in dynamic equilibrium. But we left those times behind us around 1800 with the advent of the global industrial revolution and the burning of fossil fuels.
In the slow carbon river, each carbon molecule takes 100 to 200 million years to complete one cycle through our biosphere. (The biosphere is that part of Earth’s footprint that supports life.) Over large periods of time, volcanoes and plate shifts return “slow” carbon to the atmosphere. Volcanoes return 130 to 380 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere yearly.
The Earth is warming primarily because humans contribute 30 BILLION metric tons of CO2 annually to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, 100 to 300 times more than “normal” for the slow-moving carbon river.
The fast carbon river completes a biosphere cycle in one human lifetime. It moves through life forms around the world, beginning with photosynthesis in trees, plants, and phytoplankton (small sea plants), which brings us to the heart of the matter.
Trees provide two significant carbon-recycling services to us. They store carbon, thereby reducing the amount of “slow” carbon returned to the atmosphere. They also absorb carbon from the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which is used in photosynthesis. We need to increase photosynthesis by planting more trees so that we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and slow down climate change. When you plant your family tree, you are helping the planet. (Bonus benefit: Oxygen is a waste product of photosynthesis. Trees nurture us.)
Many species of trees native to New England love to be planted in the fall so that their roots can settle in before a stressful summer of heat and possible drought. Native trees are integral to the local ecosystem and have evolved to thrive in our climate. Popular species include Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Eastern White Pine, Paper Birch, Serviceberry, Eastern Redbud, American Beech, and Black Tupelo.
When you’ve picked your spot(s) and are ready to shop, check with Lowes, Walmart, and local nurseries to see what’s available. You can also purchase online; here are a few options:
Coastal Landscaping and Garden Center, 941 Rt. 1 in York is offering a 10% discount on native trees in September if you mention York Ready for Climate Action or EcoHOMES.
Broken Arrow Nursery (Hamden, CT)
New England Wetland Plants, Inc. (Amherst, MA)
The Tree Center (Davidsville, MD, they have a “trees for your state” option)
Plant a tree, help yourself, the planet, and your family. Plant a tree for deep roots we all share.
(Sources: For the carbon discussion, NASA Earth Observatory Platform, “The Carbon Cycle”, by Holli Riebeck, 6/16/2011; For the tree discussion, Gemini Advanced, Google’s current flagship artificially intelligent agent, and other search engines.)
