Growing trees to sequester carbon in the UK: Answers to some common questions

Abstract

There has been renewed interest in the issue of growing trees to sequester carbon following the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. It is a complex issue, raising many questions. In this paper, the author offers answers to some of the questions commonly asked in the UK. These questions concern: (1) the basic rationale for growing trees to sequester carbon (does it make sense?); (2) the size of the reservoirs, sinks and sources of carbon in the UK (how important are the forests?); (3) effects of species, site and management (which is most effective at storing carbon?); (4) areas and numbers of trees needed to offset fossil fuel emissions (how many trees need to be planted per person or per car?); and (5) the monetary value of the carbon stored (what is it worth?). The answers given are taken mostly from published literature.