Question 1

What is my impact with planting one tree?

Accepted Answer

a. Over the course of a year, an average mature-sized tree can capture and store more than 20 kilograms of carbon, with more than one tonne of carbon dioxide being sequestered during a tree’s entire lifetime. Factors such as the size and type of tree, as well as the climate it is in, influence how much carbon is absorbed, but one tree planted in the ground still makes an important contribution. This ensures that tree planting plays a vital role towards lowering carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. [Source](https://www.green.earth/blog/what-is-the-impact-of-having-one-tree-planted)

b. A human breathes about 9.5 tonnes of air in a year, but oxygen only makes up about 23 percent of that air, by mass, and we only extract a little over a third of the oxygen from each breath. That works out to a total of about 740kg of oxygen per year. Which is, very roughly, seven or eight trees’ worth. [Source](https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/how-many-trees-does-it-take-to-produce-oxygen-for-one-person/)

Question 2

How long does it take for a planted tree to establish and make an impact?

Accepted Answer

a. Generally, the term “established” refers to the point at which a newly planted tree, shrub, accent, or ground cover begins to produce new growth. New growth appears as fresh foliage or new stems. Typically, the root system of a shrub will be well established after one year. A tree will be well established after three years. New plantings need to be watered more frequently than established plants.

b. To understand more variables on factors affecting plant growth, [click here](https://www.wikihow.com/Know-How-Long-It-Takes-for-a-Tree-to-Grow)

Question 3

Do tree plantation/donation projects help combat climate change?

Accepted Answer

a. As the climate crisis deepens, businesses and consumers are joining nonprofit groups and governments in a global tree planting boom. Last year saw billions of trees planted in scores of countries around the world. These efforts can be a triple win, providing livelihoods, absorbing and locking away planet-warming carbon dioxide, and improving the health of ecosystems.

b. Trees are the ultimate carbon storage machines. Like all plants, they take carbon dioxide from the [atmosphere for their own growth and energy](https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/187327/how-plants-carbon-affects-their-response/#) a process called photosynthesis. They produce oxygen which we breathe as a byproduct of this process.

c. Woodlands and forests can lock up carbon for centuries – which is something humans and the planet desperately need them for, [given the damage done](https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/topics/climate-change/) to the atmosphere by carbon-emitting human activity.

d. According to the Woodland Trust, a UK conservation charity, [400 tons of carbon can be locked into](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/how-trees-fight-climate-change/) one hectare (which is 10,000 square metres — or about two and half football pitches) of woodland alone. 
[Source](https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-planting-trees-helps-fight-climate-change/)

Your questions, answered.

Let’s grow a forest together