Trees that capture the most carbon include:
Conifers: Trees like pine, spruce, and fir are particularly efficient at capturing carbon due to their large size and sequestration potential of millions of everbearing needles.
The ability of a conifer tree like Ponderosa pine, Sitka spruce and Douglas fir to capture carbon depends on age, size, location, and environmental conditions and as such some are better at capturing carbon than others. Here are a few evergreens listed in order of their individual ability to capture carbon.
- Coast Redwood: Coastal Redwoods are native to the coastal regions of California and Oregon. Due to their enormous size, coastal redwoods can capture significant amount of carbon. For example, a 300-foot tall coastal redwood with a trunk diameter of 10-feet can 100 pounds of carbon over its lifetime. Given that these trees can live 2,000 years or more, they a coastal redwood may capture 100 tons of carbon over its lifetime. Coast redwoods are also important for maintaining the health of forests and other ecosystems. The bark of a redwood tree provides habitat for a variety of insects, which in turn provide for birds and other animals. A rare ecosystem exists in the tree canopy, which includes some surprising creatures including arboreal salamanders. California redwoods are synonymous with tourism and environmental activism as this tree faces threats from deforestation, habitat loss, and climate change. Conservation efforts to protect these trees and their ecosystems are critical for maintaining the ecological health of the coastal region forests of California and Oregon.
- Giant Sequoia: Giant Sequoia grows in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in California and is known for its ability to capture significant amounts of carbon. For example, a Sequoia tree with a 8 foot trunk diameter can capture 50 pounds of carbon each year, which means a 1,000 year old tree will have captured more than 50 tons of carbon over its lifetime. Deforestation from logging and fire threaten old tree stands of Sequoia, which in turns threatens thousand-year-old ecosystems throughout the Sierra Nevadas.
- Eastern White Pine: White Pine grows primarily around the Great Lakes. Only young trees remain from these once magnificent old growth forests that once spanned the entire Northeast of North America. The needle of a white pine tree are unusually long for a temperate tree and in fact are 8 times longer than a fir tree needle, which is why this tree sequesters 8 times the carbon than a fir tree.
- Douglas Fir: Douglas Fir is native to western North America and is one of the best coniferous trees for capturing carbon in an urban environment. A Doulas fir tree would be expected to have collected 40 pounds of carbon in its one hundredth year and over 2,000 pounds over its lifetime, which averages 250 years. In addition, Doulas fir is excellent at absorbing pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, ammonia, nitrogen oxides and particulates from the atmosphere, which is another reason it is a preferred tree to grow in congested, polluted urban environments.
- Sitka Spruce: Sitka spruce grows in the northern forests of British Columbia, Canada. It prefers a cool, wet climate and grows more slowly compared to its coniferous counterparts. Despite this, Sitka sequesters a surprising amount of carbon due its ability to densely populate the forests of the north. As a wet climate tree, other plants co-dependently grow right along with the tree to create layered eco-systems that sequester carbon as well including forest ferns, fungi, and moss.
- Norway Spruce: Norway spruce is a native European tree that was imported to North America over 2 centuries ago to replace the old growth white pine that was cut down for masts of wooden ships. Like white pine, Norway spruce grows tall, fast and straight and early in its life it efficiently begins to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. During its rapid growth phase, the tree quickly converts atmospheric carbon dioxide into organic matter, such as wood and leaves.
- Western Red Cedar: Red Cedar is native to western North America that is well known for its large conical canopy and carbon sequestration capacity. The tree grows large in the rainforests of coastal Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, sometimes reaching heights of 300 feet and trunk diameters of 11 feet or more. Cathedral Grove, located on Vancouver Island, is one of the last old growth red cedar groves left standing in North America. A tree of this size can capture 50 tons of carbon during its lifetime, which can span 1,000 years or more.
Deciduous Trees: Deciduous trees, also called big leaf trees, feature wide leaves that individually can capture 3 to 4 times the carbon compared to needles of coniferous trees. Their leaf canopies are large and spreading, sometimes spanning 100 feet or more in older trees. In temperate forests, the leaves drop each fall and as a result, carbon sequestration falls to zero. However, in the spring when the leaves regenerate, rapid growth the first 2 months capture 70 percent of the carbon for the entire year. Oak, maple, and poplar are examples of temperate trees that capture carbon.
- Silver Maple: Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) is a tree species native to North America that is known for its rapid growth rate and significant carbon sequestration capacity. According to the free online tree carbon calculator, a mature Silver Maple tree with a trunk diameter of 3 feet can sequester approximately 20 tons of carbon over its lifetime. The carbon capture calculator will display the number of leaves, total carbon capture, total oxygen produced, total carbon sored and carbon value by tree age and tree type.
- American Sycamore: American Sycamore is native to North America can grow up to 70 feet tall with a broad, spreading crown. The tree grows fast and begins to sequester carbon quickly. It is most effective at carbon capture the first 30 years of life. Sycamore is a predominate tree of the American Southwest.
- Red Oak: Red Oak grows in northeastern North America. It has an oval leaf crown that can be as much as 100 feet wide and 150 feet tall and a trunk caliper of 8 feet round. Interestingly, for every branch of the tree, there is a root below ground, so what lies beneath the surface has a tremendous capacity to store carbon. A 100-year-old oak tree can sequester 14 pounds of carbon that year and 150 pounds over its lifetime. The tree also provides habitat for wildlife, including birds, insects, and squirrels.
- Black Walnut: According to the tree carbon calculator, a Black walnut tree can sequester approximately 36 pounds of carbon in its eightieth year and 565 pounds the period it grew. The leaf of a black walnut is compound, that is to say it has 5 or 7 leaves growing from a single stem attached to a branch. Walnut leaves are extremely efficient at pulling carbon from the atmosphere because of this. A walnut leaf has 5 times the leaf surface area of an oak leaf, for example..
- Sugar Maple: Sugar Maple is native to North America grown for timber and production of maple syrup. Its range is limited to a large part of eastern North America, although it does grow in micro-climates out west. It is most valuable as a landscape tree to sequester carbon in urban environments. A Sugar maple tree provides a natural bird habitat elevated high above the ground away from potential predators. A 60-year-old sugar maple tree can grow 15,000 leaves that can capture 8 pounds of carbon and produce 12 pounds of oxygen.
- American Elm: American Elm, also known as Dutch elm, was imported to North America a couple of centuries ago. A beautiful tree, it was quickly adopted and planted in just about every city in eastern North America from Toronto, Canada to Washington, D.C. Small but numerous leaves, captured significant amounts of carbon before the trees demise in the middle of the last century, when a fungal disease virtually wiped them out. Fortunately, this tree is making a comeback with disease resistant trees now available for planting. The capacity to capture carbon from this tree is significant due to its unusual ability to grow leaves from the main truck and branches of the tree, so thick they resemble ivy.
- Yellow Poplar: Yellow Poplar is a fast-growing North American tree but despite its fast growth it is not considered one of the most effective species for carbon sequestration. However, it has a role to play in mixed bush plantings for land reclamation projects, tree plantations and as an urban landscape tree. The inclusion of polar trees in ant carbon sequestration effort will increase the health of more important trees helping them maximize their carbon collection capabilities.
Tropical Trees: Tropical forests and the trees that grow in them are many times more effective at sequestrating carbon than temperate forests. This is because they grow year-round in a dense, hot, and humid environment where decaying plant matter releases an enormous amount of carbon directly underneath the forest canopy. Tropical trees like Ceiba, Mahogany, Sapote, Kapok, Brazil Nut and Brazilian Walnut are excellent at sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.
- Ceiba: Ceiba is a large, fast-growing South America tree that can grow up to 300 feet tall. It is easily identified by its distinctive trunk with spreading, buttress like roots. Ceiba is endangered because of its value as a commercial timber tree and its continued loss diminishes a forests ability to capture carbon and stem the effects of global warming. Its deep roots help to prevent soil erosion and maintain water quality by absorbing excess nutrients and pollutants from the soil. The ceiba tree is also culturally significant in many regions where it is found. It has been used in traditional medicine, and in some cultures, the tree is considered sacred and is associated with spiritual beliefs. However, ceiba trees face threats from deforestation and habitat loss, as well as overexploitation for their timber. Conservation efforts to protect these trees are critical not only for preserving the economic benefits of the timber but also for maintaining the ecological health of tropical rainforests and mitigating the effects of climate change through carbon sequestration.
- Mahogany: Mahogany is a large tree species native to Central and South America. This tree can reach a height of 300 feet or more and its large diameter straight trunk makes it ideal for commercial timber harvesting, which makes it a prime candidate for exploitation. As a young tree, Mahogany sequesters 80 percent of its lifetime of collecting and storing carbon from years 3 through 40, so open field plantations are best for capturing the most carbon. Mahogany is also important for maintaining the health of tropical rainforests and the varied ecosystems that exist within them. Its deep roots prevent soil erosion and maintain water quality by absorbing excess nutrients and pollutants from the soil. Unfortunately, because of its inherent value, mahogany trees have been overexploited in many areas and face increasing threats from deforestation and habitat loss. Conservation efforts to protect these trees are critical not only for preserving the economic benefits of the timber but also for maintaining the ecological health of tropical rainforests and mitigating the effects of climate change.
- Amazonian White Sapote: Sapote grows in the Amazonian rainforest and other tropical regions of South America. It has a massive, wide, spreading leaf canopy that serves to capture significant amounts of carbon. Like many tree species in the Amazonian rainforest, the Sapote tree is facing threats from slash and burn agriculture. Efforts to protect and conserve these trees are critical for preserving the biodiversity and ecological health of the Brazilin rainforest.
- Kapok: Kapok is a tropical tree that grows in Africa and Asia. Brazilian Walnut can capture twice its height in carbon providing its leaf canopy has the room to spread and grow. Like the Ceiba tree, it has massive, buttress roots that spread from the lower part of its trunk, which are needed to support the massive leaf canopy. Kapok trees provide habitat and food for a wide range of animals, including birds, primates, and bats. The kapok's large trunk and buttress roots also help to prevent soil erosion and provide stability in areas prone to landslides.
- Brazil Nut: Brazil Nut trees are large, long-lived trees that grow in the Amazon rainforest in South America. The tree has a long lifespan and can capture a significant amount of carbon throughout its life, as well as providing habitat for a wide range of animals, including birds, monkeys, and other primates. However, Brazil nut trees face many threats, including deforestation, habitat loss, and overharvesting of the nuts. Conservation efforts to protect these trees are critical not only for preserving the economic benefits of the nuts but also for maintaining the ecological health of tropical rainforests and mitigating the effects of climate change through carbon sequestration.
- Sapele: Sapele grows in tropical regions of Africa, particularly in the Congo Basin and West Africa. The tree grows tall and straight reaching heights of 200 feet or more. Sapele is known as the carbon capture tree of Africa because of its ability to sequester 3 times the carbon compared to other African trees. Its leaves are large and many, which explains why this tree is able to capture so much carbon.
This page features 2 carbon calculators: the first calculates the amount of stored carbon in a tree, the second calculates number leaves, the amount of carbon the leaves capture, oxygen produces by the leaves, carbon sequestered in the wood and value of stored carbon by tree type and age.
By using these tree carbon calculators, individuals, governments, companies, and nonprofit groups can better understand the impact of trees on carbon capture and climate change. They can also be used to design and plan specific tree plantings to reach specific carbon reduction goals.
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