Today, carbon dioxide levels in the Earth’s atmosphere are the highest they’ve been in about 800 thousand years. An expert from LSU’s ag center says there’s something you can do that’s actually very easy–plant trees.
Horticulturist Heather Kirk Ballard says a single tree can pull 48 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere in one year. She says people in Louisiana tend to cut trees out of fear of hurricane damage.
“There are several trees that have nice hard woods and will stand up to hurricane winds and will grow pretty quickly,” she says.
Fast-growing trees that resist strong winds include Nutall oaks, river birches, and sycamores.
She says trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and store it as carbon molecules in the plants’ wood, roots, and leaves.
“All of that carbon is stored. It becomes a sink. And they will continue to pull it out of that atmosphere as they grow,” Ballard says
She says forested areas can be up to ten degrees cooler than cities because trees act as natural air conditioners.
“Trees can help us also reduce emissions by reducing emissions. They cool our houses in the summertime. Trees that are as far away as sixty feet can still have a cooling effect on a home,” she says.
But, in hurricane-prone areas, experts say there are some trees to avoid placing near homes because of their low wind resistance. These include water oaks, laurel oaks, pecans, Chinese elms, and many pines.
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