Peru plants 512,820 trees per day

[Robbien]

Source: Fair Home

Across the Atlantic, on the vast continent of America, one country is taking climate change seriously.

Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture has decided to single-handedly attempt to mitigate the effects of climate change using a nation-wide tree planting project.

The campaign began on 13th December, and aims to have 40 million trees planted by 20th February.

Forty million trees in three months. That’s the same as 512,820 trees per day. Which is a lot of tree planting.

A workforce of 130,000 people, in fact, with each person planting an average 4.5 trees per day.

Eucalyptus, pine, cypress and pepper trees will be planted in 18 Peruvian regions with suitable soil and rainfall.

The Ministry of Agriculture estimates the trees will remove 570,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.

Read more: http://www.fairhome.co.uk/2009/01/12/peru-plants-512820-trees-per-day/

---

Now that's an economic stimulus program which ignites the imagination and builds hope. AND creates jobs, at least for a while.

[babylonsister]

1. This is really great. We all should take lessons. nt

[stop the bleeding]

2. Seconded nt

[mrs_p]

3. wonderful idea

my hubby and i worked on a peruvian farm for a day planting trees - all done old-fashioned, with bent backs, reddened necks, and soiled fingers....

[floridablue]

4. 10k young people @10 per hour equals

about 200 million per year labor, plus the tree cost. What could we do for America with that ?

[Lorien]

16. Pay one bank CEO for a year, with bonuses?

Seriously, I think a massive tree planting project would do a world of good for everyone. Did you know that having shade from trees on the east or west side of your home can save you up to 40% in electricity costs per year? Even for those too old or too ignorant to care about climate change there are still major benefits to a good tree canopy.

[WhiteTara]

47. plant a half million trees

then go back and make sure they are growing. that should double that amount.

[central scrutinizer]

51. ex hippie tree planter checking in

There are a few problems with your calculations. I speak as someone who has planted around one million trees in my 12 years of working in the woods. The planting season in most areas is very short - you have to get to the land as soon as the snow leaves in order to give the trees a chance to survive the summer heat and dryness. We were lucky to work even 100 days in a year and to do that required extensive traveling chasing the snowline from the Pacific Coast to the top of the Rockies. In the West, tree planting is one of the hardest, muddiest, most miserable jobs there is and good luck finding someone to do it for $10/hour.

[bloomington-lib]

5. Not trying to be a Debbie Downer here but

trees won't remove CO2 from the ecosystem, it just stores it. As soon as the trees die the CO2 is released back into the air. Don't get me wrong, I love trees and that they're doing this. I wish more nations would get into the business of forest building as a way of increasing eco infrastructure. But more trees shouldn't give anyone the feeling of less guilt while releasing more fossil fuel CO2.

[mitchtv]

9. EUCALYTUS?

Why are they plantng non natives?

[thereismore]

30. Yes, very bad idea. Eucalyptus is aggressive against all underbrush. Bad idea. nt

[Bear down under]

42. Not in Australia they aren't

Eucalypt forests characteristically have a lower story, which may comprise smaller trees, shrubs, ferns and grasses, which depending on the local climate, soil and rainfall. Yes, they do dry the soil out, which mmeans that in horticulture one has to take care in the choice of species to be planted beneath them -- again taking the local soil, climate etc into account -- but (putting my old landscape architect's hat on for a minute) in practice this is not unduly limiting.

Comparing eucs in Australia with those overseas, one thing that's conspicuous is that in Australia the mulch of shed leaves, bark etc beneath them is always very thin, while overseas it tends to be much deeper, thanks mainly to the absence of the organisms (insects, fungi etc) that recycle the fallen stuff in Australia. That can limit the undergowth, and of course it adds to the fire hazard which trees native to a fire-dependant ecology are apt to create.

That certainly seems true in California, where the Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) is the one you most often see, so much so that I know Californians who believe it to be native there. For all its majesty, it strikes us here as having been an odd choice, as its timber is second-rate; but there are nearly 700 other species, ranging from waist-high shrubs to the tallest flowering plant in the world, E. regnans. It would be interesting to know which species the Peruvians are using.

[Fearless]

10. It doesn't necessarily release it back into the atmosphere...

It will fix it within the wood of the tree and within the soil primarily. The hydrocarbons will be ate by microorganisms (ie the wood will rot). Very little CO2 is actually released based on the longevity of that CO2 fixing exercise of the tree in it's life.

[kenfrequed]

11. Uhm

Ok, but I don't see how this is not part of the solution. Provided that the trees are replaced or that they are cosntantly replanted I don't see this being a bad thing.

This has to be part of the solution alongside reducing fossil fuel usage and embracing alternative energy sources and mass transportation as well as community food creation, localization, energy conservation, and improvement of homes to be more efficient.

[bloomington-lib]

14. I not saying planting trees is a bad thing

It provides way more benefits than "storing carbon". I love what they're doing. I just don't want Company A to think that by planting trees it's ok to continue releasing more CO2 into the system. Or more importantly, I don't want the people to stop pushing for Company A to reduce emissions because they planted trees.

[Lautremont]

20. I understand what you're saying.

It makes sense. People, corporations and countries are always looking for the least painful way to assuage their guilt and culpability.

[floridablue]

46. I just remember when the KCMo zoo had 2 Koala bears

borrowed, they had to fly eucalyptus leaves in every day to feed them. It was kool.

[kenfrequed]

54. Excellent point!

And I agree completely! There is nothing gained in making Greenwashing easy.

[Lorien]

17. Er, plant trees that live more than 100 years? We'll be out of oil by then

anyway.

[HillbillyBob]

41. A lot of the carbon from burning trees for fuel was sequestered

for the life of the tree, it is also sequestered in what we make from trees. If we increase the canopy, it cools the surrounding area and also helps to lock up the free co2 yes for the life of the tree. We as a society have removed so much canopy it is outrageous..
Here in the area of rural NC i have seen at least several hundred acres cut bare in the last 2 years.
Why do suburban house lots of 1/3 to 1 acre have to to be lawn?
We have 8 7/8 acres, about 2 of it is clear around the house, but we are planting. The rest is wooded.
I have planted Giant sequoias, they soak up enormous amounts of co2, are pest and fire resistant and the shade will help. There were no trees around the house lot when we moved in here 2 years ago. Now 1/2 acre is planted in black berries, as the canes die they are turned into the garden. We have planted so far a couple Sequoia and a few Deodar Cedars(incense ceder) the Sequoias will reach 100 feet and 10 feet in diameter in 30 years, I forget how much co2 that accounts for, incense cedar will be about 50+ feet in 30 years, We have also planted about 30 willows, 10 orchard tress, Cherry and peaches, I have in my greenhouse to go out come last frost, 2 olives, 5 figs, 5 pomegranate, kiwi, they will not only absorb co2 and release oxy and provide food locally to us and our neighbors, so there is fuel fuel for shipping not being burnt. We will be planting more as permaculture as we go along.
We did not really want to burn the brush piles we inherited when we bought the place, but we did burn to charcoal and used that in the 1/2 acre veggie garden so that locks up some. There was a lot of poison ivy in them so we had to. Every bit does help.
We have also increased the insulation in the house, put up black out/insulating curtain liners cutting our fuel for heating/cooling cost by about 30%. I open them during the day to make use of the solar heat gain and turn off the heat all together when the temp outside is above 30 degrees and the house is warm enough.
We will be installing a solar water heater and solar air heater that will further decrease our need for fuel.
Low flow water fixtures, less hot water used, HE Bosch Nexxt 500 model front load washer when the old one died, it saves about 40 gallons of water per was load, we have a well that is pumped by 240 electric, less water used less power needed.
We all need to be in the tree planting business, even if it is only to join the Arbor Day foundation, we just recieved 10 trees to plant. We will be planting and replanting as we have non native pines that are dying from bark beetle. We will replace them with longer lived native hardwoods that provide food too.
The pines will be sent to a local timber op that will come get them and turn into lumber we need for our processing building for our garden produce. Talk about local, the sawmill is about 6 miles from here.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

49. No, wait, don't tell me. Ketchup is a vegetable, right?

Nice to meet you, Mr. Reagan. So, are you in Heaven or in Hell? Or something altogether different?

[roguevalley]

6. Awesome.

[chocolate ink]

7. 280 million..

In 2007 Mexico planted 280 million trees in conjunction I believe with a UN plan for reforestation. Haven't checked what they did in 2008. And as someone else mentioned this gave a lot of people jobs.

[Corey_Baker08]

8. This would be a way to heal Americas economy while saving the environment....

giving that the federal gov't decided to pay people for this action or as Barack Obama said in the campaign about having young people exchange community service for money for college, I see alot of potential in this great idea.

I know I would be willing to plant 4 to 5 trees per day for admission into college without being further in debt by the time I graduate...

maybe someone should Rec this to Pres Obama?

[awoke_in_2003]

12. k&r. nt

[RCinBrooklyn]

13. Where are they getting them from? Are they just transplanting the same tree over and over?

[Robbien]

15. Nope. They have been working on this for a while

from another article:

“This project was programmed many months ago,” said architect Rodolfo Beltran, Executive Director of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agrurural program. “It hasn’t been easy to obtain 40 million trees, then carefully select the areas where they are to be planted, and finally, determine how they will be maintained.”

“We are taking advantage of nature’s cycles,” said Beltran. “In the highlands we can count on free water between December and April. We will keep the trees in our greenhouses and in the communities until they grow to 30 centimeters. In December, we will take them out and begin to distribute them for planting. So, the plants will take in the water from the rainy season.”

http://www.peruviantimes.com/planting-trees-to-mitigate-climate-change-peru-to-plant-more-than-40-million-in-2009/

[RCinBrooklyn]

28. This is one of the most heartening reports I've read in a VERY long time.

[Winterblues]

18. I can hear Bush* now.."Got Wood"?

At least some in this world are willing to set a good example.

[marybourg]

19. Israel has been doing this for 60 years now.

Probably something wrong with it, though, if Israel is doing it, huh?

[rucognizant]

25. Not really...........

I used to admire them tremendously, before they went over to the dark side!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

50. We beat ya.

People don't talk about this very much, but I don't go around bitterly complaining that people hate my country.

The Tijuca Forest in Rio de Janeiro

After all the original forest had been destroyed to make way for coffee farms, Tijuca was replanted by Major Manuel Gomes Archer in the second half of the 19th century, in a successful effort to protect Rio's water supply.

[WriteDown]

21. Why Eucalyptus?

Seems like a strange choice.

[Bacchus39]

32. I'm guessing for the medicinal properties of the leaves

eucalyptus has also been brought to Guatemala and people use the leaves for teas and incense. unfortunately, it seems to be brought over also to dry up swamps.

[rucognizant]

34. No it isn't.........

It's really very versatile, commercially viable etc etc.
Check it out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus
meanwhile we need a tree planting program here in Maine. The price of oil has generated a flurry of firewood, producing. Those back wood lots in the family for several generations, are being cut and sold off to help cover living costs/medical bills. Driving up RT 1 is looking sadly bald!
Our soon to be gone pREz. passed over Helen Thomas at his last press confeence today!Least he is staying in character.

[WriteDown]

52. Doesn't matter....

Its non-native. The cane toad comes to mind.

Firewood can be grown relatively quickly today with fast growth pines. I think it only takes 5 years to grow a fully mature tree. It was very popular in NC.

[happygoluckytoyou]

22. BETTER LUCK PLANTING POLITICIANS..... but Trees will do

[HillbillyBob]

43. Now that is a good idea..remember in grade school when

They taught us about the Native Americans planted corn, beans and squash together they put a fish in the hole first for fertilizer?
Well this is better, everyone 'knows' that polyticians are full of sh--, we plant them then plant a tree over it......
Edited to add.
And then there is the bit about planting an oak tree over a vampire to keep them down in the ground?

[Mira]

23. Magnificent ! Except they better exempt Lima. It only has very little rain

to the point that the trees in Lima are grey with dust.

[rasputin1952]

24. Fantastic! And for those who wish to help on a slightly smaller scate...

The Arbor Day Foundation will send you 10 trees for a $10 donation. Over the years I have gotten many trees, and given them to groups that will plant them. The Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H Club, Northeast Community College Ag Dept, the VFW, American Legion and city have all planted trees.

Might not seem as powerful as what Peru is doing, but if just 100 DUer's participated, that's 1000 trees...think of what we could do if 1000 DUer's took this great deal up...:D

If you feel like planting some trees, here's a link...just check out the center column just under the logo...:hi:


Link: http://arborday.org/

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

26. We've planted over 100 in the last 2 years

Not that it is necc, but they offer a guarantee also

[rasputin1952]

29. Great!

:hi:

[rucognizant]

35. Or you can rescue......

road kill trees! 16 years ago, I needed some spruce trees for a windbreak on my North side, and got permission from some neighbors to dig up a few small trees close to the road. I discovered hat they a wee a LOT OLDER than I had thought. WHen digging them up I discovered the trunks were big. I realized, that the tops were cut off every summer by the mowing machine cutting the grass on the shoulder of the road. That tree is now 11 or 12' tall with two tops that grew up from the early trim. It shelters birds squirrels and holds one end of my clothesline, as well as stopping the north wind.

[ClarkUSA]

27. Team O should incorporate this idea into their public service initiative.

Better yet, use part of the stimulus package for some subsidizing of trees for planting.

[lostnotforgotten]

31. America Used To Be A Proactive Country - Republicans Killed The Initiative

eom

[ElboRuum]

33. Don't know how much effect it will have...

...overall, but I have to say that I like their attitude.

[Posteritatis]

40. A lot of things that won't have much effect overall add up (nt)

[Joey Liberal]

36. Join the Arbor Day Foundation

and start planting!

http://www.arborday.org/index.cfm

[Sequoia]

37. The town of Windsor, California is cutting down over 100 redwoods

beside the 101 !!! Why? So they can widen a dopey freeway for a fast lane. Let me tell you...that is not a freeway that's crowded like Los Angeles or another big city. These trees are beautiful to look at and now these jerks are just cutting them down. At this rate we will have no redwoods along the freeway. This town cries about the hippy smoke shops, check cashing stores and tatoo parlor stores which might be a blight on their ultra white conservative family values town. They gotta erect a wall to keep out the freeway sounds and yet they're going to cut down all these trees for an lane that is not necesarry and costly too. So if anyone tells you that the people of Northern Cal are so "earthy" and such don't believe it. We're all pretty mad about these redwoods being cut down. I say we just cut the town of Windsor off the map and move it to Florida or South Carolina where they can hobnob with their own "we're so much better than you" crowd.

[Joey Liberal]

39. Cutting down Redwoods is evil nt

[Trillo]

38. Wow. Good for them.

Humans need to think of trees as sacred, all animals are dependent upon them, even carnivores.

Feel the love yet?

[Wilms]

44. I dream we would do the same.

[Synicus Maximus]

45. Only 4.5 a day?

When I was young the state gave my dad free trees (5000) to plant and myself and every other planter was expected to do 150-250 trees a day. It was a back breaking job but that was what was expected. Damn I hated those trees.
.

[Omaha Steve]

48. One click every day, & Give the Greenest Gift of All -- A Rainforest Tree

I click here each day: http://rainforest.care2.com/ & here: http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=4&link=ctg_trs_home_from_lit_thankyou_sitenav





https://secure.nrdconline.org/08/costarica_inhonor


For $10, you can plant a rainforest tree in honor of friends or family -- and send them a beautiful online Certificate of Rainforest Restoration that they can print or frame to acknowledge their connection to this important campaign.
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Fill in the form below, and once you click Submit, you will be able to write your own personal message and send an online Certificate of Rainforest Restoration -- within minutes.
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[lovuian]

53. Awesome

:woohoo:

[polly7]

55. We bought a farm with fields that had literally had every tree and bush removed.

By the end of that spring I had planted nearly 5,000 seedlings (all free, from the PFRA) and hoed and watered them until they were big enough to manage on their own. My husband hated cultivating around them, his Dad accidently (uh-huh) sprayed them, the neighbour thought I was insane .. but a few years ago these shelterbelts saved our buildings from a field fire caused by a spark from the gas-plant flare next door. I guess I wasn't quite so stupid after all. Plant and hug a tree, for so many reasons. :hug:

[BrightKnight]

56. I spent 2 days planting trees 30 years ago.

My Scout troop must have planted more than 1k trees on that project. I would love to see them now.