The amount of CO2 sequestered in a tree
Some days ago I found something very interesting on the world wide web regarding nature . Everyone knows that CO2 is bad for the environment, for the planet, for our health etc. Also everyone knows that tree’s and generally plants are responsable for ”eating” it and giving us back the useful O2, vital to sustain life. How this technically happends is more a biologist business so it will not be presented in this post. The next rows describe how to calculate the amount of the deadly substance known as carbon dioxide sequestered by plants. The study resumes at a single tree for reasons simply to understand. Yet I can not ensure the precission of the method presented because I don’t know how far the information has been scientificly proven.
The rate of carbon sequestration depends on the growth characteristics of the tree species, the conditions for growth where the tree is planted, and the density of the tree’s wood. It is greatest in the younger stages of tree growth, between 20 to 50 years.
Steps to follow:
1. – Determine the total (green) weight of the tree
2. – Determine the dry weight of the tree
3. – Determine the weight of carbon in the tree
4. – Determine the weight of carbon dioxide sequestered in the tree
5. – Determine the weight of CO2 sequestered in the tree per year
Determine the total (green) weight of the tree:
Based on tree species in the Southeast United States, the algorithm to calculate the weight of a tree is:
For trees with D<11 : W = 0,25xDxDxH
For trees with D>=11 : W = 0,15xDxDxH
W = Above-ground weight of the tree in punds
D = Diameter of the trunk in inches
H = Height of the tree in feet
Depending on the species, the coefficient (e.g. 0,25) could change, and the variables DxD and H could be raised to exponents just above or below 1.
The root system weighs about 20% as much as the above-ground weight of the tree. Therefore, to determine the total green weight of the tree, multiply the above-ground weight of the tree by 120%.
Determine the dry weight of the tree:
This is based on an extension publication from the University of Nebraska. The average tree is 72,5% dry matter and 27,5% moisture. Therefore, to determine the dry weight of the tree, multiply the weight of the tree by 72,5%.
Determine the weight of carbon in the tree:
The average carbon content is generally 50% of the tree’s total volume. Therefore, to determine the weight of carbon in the tree, multiply the dry weight of the tree by 50%.
Determine the weight of carbon dioxide sequestered in the tree:
CO2 is composed of one molecule of Carbon and 2 molecules of Oxygen. The atomic weight of Carbon is 12,001115. The atomic weight of Oxygen is 15,9994. The weight of CO2 is C+2xO=43,999915. The ratio of CO2 to C is 43,999915/12,001115=3,6663. Therefore, to determine the weight of carbon dioxide sequestered in the tree, multiply the weight of carbon in the tree by 3,6663.
Determine the weight of CO2 sequestered in the tree per year:
Divide the weight of carbon dioxide sequestered in the tree by the age of the tree.
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