CFREE TIP #6 – Think hard before you cut down a mature tree.

How to reduce levels of CO2, a major greenhouse gas?

DON’T CUT DOWN LIVING TREES!

Dr. William Moomaw, an internationally recognized policy scientist, recently (5/14/25) spoke to Metrowest Climate Solutions, providing a compelling overview of the contribution of trees and other natural systems to offsetting human-generated greenhouse gas emissions.

Perhaps his most dramatic point was that if the world did not have forests, today's CO2 levels would have been reached in the 1960s.  Trees are more efficient at pulling excess CO2 out of the atmosphere than any engineered system designed to date.

Each existing mature tree of any species helps mitigate climate change by absorbing about 50 lbs. of CO2 per year, depending on the age and type of tree. The largest annual absorption happens in middle-aged trees (those that are in the mid-portion of their lifespan; e.g., from about 30 to 60 years of age for a tree that would normally live 100 years). Newly planted young trees absorb far less CO2: it is estimated that it would require 462 young oaks to replace the CO2 sequestration capacity of a single mature oak!

In general, letting living trees continue to grow in place will fix more carbon per acre of land than if you cut them down and replant with seedlings or saplings.

For a more detailed discussion of this topic, see Climate Minute #8 – The Important Role of Trees in Addressing Climate Change

Vicky Diadiuk, on behalf of CFREE