Planting trees for Carbon Sequestration - do the numbers add up?

Trees - A nature based solution to climate change?

Series Two of Wood for the Trees takes a closer look at the issues raised in our short films about the future of UK forests. Can we plant enough trees to save us from a warming planet?

Determined to understand the future of English woodlands, Tom and Charly continue their quest to ask awkward questions and share their learning. This film asks if it's possible to plant enough trees in the UK to sequester our carbon emissions.With animations from Robin Lane Roberts that make the maths look beautiful.

00:00 Is planting trees for carbon sequestration too good to be true?
00:48 We know we need to reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere to avoid the worst predictions of climate change.
01:14 Trees sequester carbon - but can we plant enough trees to save us from a warming planet?
01:55 What is Carbon Sequestration? - The Carbon Cycle.
02:40 Trees are Nature Based Solutions to Global Warming - How much do they absorb (UK)?
03:39 UK Carbon Emmisions Vs Current Tree Planting Targets
05:29 How do future tree planting targets effect overall emissions in the UK?
06:18 - What if we reduce our carbon emissions as well?
06:59 Conclusion - We need to dramatically reduce the CO2 we emit whilst continuing to plant trees to help absorb the remaining emissions.

Footnotes to the figures we have used:

'The average tree in the UK absorbs around 10kg of Co2 per year for the first 20 years'

The 10kg figure originates from the organisation One Tree Planted https://onetreeplanted.org/) who in turn cite the Bernal Review as their source. The Bernal review seems to be the most comprehensive study to date concerned with Global carbon dioxide removal rates from forest landscape restoration activities. This review is also cited in the recent National Food Strategy.

Because so much of our woodland is unmanaged and unproductive we decided that the lower end of the 10 - 20kg range was appropriate for the UK.

Bernal, B., Murray, L.T. & Pearson, T.R.H. Global carbon dioxide removal rates from forest landscape restoration activities. Carbon Balance Manage 13, 22 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-018-01...

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'Terrestrial emissions are 400M tonnes per year'

The terrestrial Co2e emissions figure provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for 2020 is 405.5 M tonnes. We have rounded down to 400 M tonnes for simplicity.

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'Emissions are 44% lower than 1990 levels'

Similar figures between 40 and 44% are quoted in various Government documents including a 2021 report from the IPCC. We have taken the 44% figure to be generous.
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