Tree efficiency in CO2 Capture
How efficient are trees at capturing CO2 and fighting climate change?
How efficient are trees at capturing CO2 and fighting climate change?
Trees are among the most efficient tools we have to capture CO2 and combat climate change. Alongside oceans, forests are one of the two most effective natural carbon sinks on Earth. While we cannot control oceanic absorption, we can plant trees at a large scale, making forests a practical and scalable solution for carbon capture.
Through photosynthesis, trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen and biomass. During this process, carbon is stored in the form of sugars (glucose and starch) within the tree's leaves, trunk, branches, and roots. This not only helps reduce greenhouse gases but also supports biodiversity and ecosystems, while the oxygen released supports life on Earth.
Trees have been perfecting this process for millions of years. It's estimated that forests collectively act as a carbon sink of around 2.4 petagrams of carbon per year. In 2019, the Crowther Lab published a scientific report declaring tree planting as possibly the cheapest and most effective method to mitigate climate change.
However, carbon capture through reforestation alone is not enough to stop climate change. According to the Paris Agreement, keeping global temperature rise below 1.5ºC requires both drastic emissions reduction and enhanced carbon capture efforts. Planting trees helps buy us time in the transition to a sustainable society and can slow down the approach of critical tipping points in the climate system.
How much CO2 can a tree capture?
The amount of CO2 a tree can capture varies widely depending on its species, the local soil, and the climate conditions. Some tropical regions, due to their favorable environment, are particularly effective for high and rapid CO2 absorption.
On average, a tree can sequester over 250 kilograms of CO2 during its lifetime. At Tree-Nation, we apply conservative estimates and typically account for 80 kilograms over the first 10 years of a tree's life. This aligns with the period during which a tree captures the most carbon.
Fast-growing species are especially efficient at CO2 capture and are commonly used in reforestation and carbon offsetting projects. At Tree-Nation, we monitor over 300 tree species, with recorded carbon absorption rates ranging from just a few kilograms to more than a ton over a lifetime.
To provide transparent and guaranteed CO2 offset values, Tree-Nation limits its carbon offset estimates to the first 10 years of a tree’s life, even though trees continue absorbing CO2 well beyond that period. This conservative approach ensures the reliability and verifiability of our offset certificates.
When exploring a project on Tree-Nation, you can view the estimated CO2 capture for each tree species in the 'Species' section. For those interested in the full methodology behind these estimates, we invite you to visit our CO2 offset methodology page.
By understanding how and how much trees capture CO2, we can better appreciate their role in our fight against climate change—and support reforestation efforts with greater purpose and confidence.