carbon neutral,save the world

[nightshade]

The news was full of popstars buying and planting trees to offset their carbon usage. If everyone planted a tree would we save the world? I know the place would look better and wildlife would benefit

[Alan]

My backyard's full of seedlings/saplings that I've grown from seed/cuttings. I reckon I'm growing the whole neighbourhoods quota!

[Adam]

I think there are around 6 billion people in the world (could be wrong), so if everyone planted a new tree, it couldn't be a bad thing!

[BartonFlyer]

Originally Posted by Adam

I think there are around 6 billion people in the world (could be wrong), so if everyone planted a new tree, it couldn't be a bad thing!

Just think if they all chose cupressus leylandii - we'd blot out the sun!!

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by nightshade

The news was full of popstars buying and planting trees to offset their carbon usage. If everyone planted a tree would we save the world? I know the place would look better and wildlife would benefit

Depends where they plant them and what kind of trees they are!
If they plant them on heath or gorgeous unimproved grassland they might not only damage these habitats but they'd be removing good to be replaced with good you surely want to improve bad habitats.
If they are planting hawthorn from Scotland or even Europe in Kent it's going to flower at the wrong time for the wildlife and maybe even hybridise with the local variation and produce seedlings that also don't grow in synchrony with the surrounding wildlife. I'm perhaps more in favour of letting the trees plant themselves - natural succession, they know best where they are going to survive (most of the time!) (probably not going to get very far in my geranium pot!).

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

Depends where they plant them and what kind of trees they are!
If they plant them on heath or gorgeous unimproved grassland they might not only damage these habitats but they'd be removing good to be replaced with good you surely want to improve bad habitats.
If they are planting hawthorn from Scotland or even Europe in Kent it's going to flower at the wrong time for the wildlife and maybe even hybridise with the local variation and produce seedlings that also don't grow in synchrony with the surrounding wildlife. I'm perhaps more in favour of letting the trees plant themselves - natural succession, they know best where they are going to survive (most of the time!) (probably not going to get very far in my geranium pot!).

How long do you think it took the trees to re-populate the British Isles. I mean after the last Ice Age. I know it started with Birch and Willow scrub, then the Scotts Pines moved in before the Hazels, Alder and Oaks and such like. But how long did it take do you reckon? 1000 years maybe, before they reached Scotland?

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Alan

How long do you think it took the trees to re-populate the British Isles. I mean after the last Ice Age. I know it started with Birch and Willow scrub, then the Scotts Pines moved in before the Hazels, Alder and Oaks and such like. But how long did it take do you reckon? 1000 years maybe, before they reached Scotland?

I don't know, I think the lovely titchmarsh covered that sort of thing in his natural history doc.
Wasn't the wildwood dominated by small leaved Lime? - Must hunt out my Oliver Rackham - he's a brilliant author on that sort of stuff!
It doesn't seem to take trees like Birch or ash or blackthorn long to start creeping in - obviously only if you have mature trees adjacent or nearby though.