Frequently asked questions about Trees for Change
Choose any link to get answers to your questions about Trees for
Change, an SRP EarthWise program.
What is Trees for Change?
Trees for change is an easy, personal way for you to
take action against climate change while reforesting
and beautifying the lands devastated by fires. You
can volunteer to support the program by choosing to add
a separate amount to your monthly energy bill. The
amount you pay will be invested in new reforestation
projects in Arizona.
How much will it cost to join
the program?
Participation in
Trees for Change is available
in $3 per month
increments. This amount will be added to your monthly
electric bill. You can choose $3 additional per month, or
$6, $9 or $12. The amount you pay for your regular
electricity usage remains the same.
How do trees help remove greenhouse
gases from the air?
Trees take in
carbon dioxide and give off oxygen,
making them nature's air fresheners. Photosynthesis
is the conversion of light energy into chemical
energy by living organisms. The raw materials are
carbon dioxide, chlorophyll, and water, the energy
source is sunlight, and the end-products include
glucose and oxygen. It is arguably the most
important biochemical pathway, since nearly
all life depends on it.
Is reforestation an effective way to
fight climate change?
Yes, it is one
of many climate change strategies.
An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide may be
due to the effects of land use
change. Thus, restoring forestland represents a
natural way to reverse these effects and may
help to slow climate change. As trees grow they
absorb carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere and store it in living plant tissue.
According to a recent study by the Pew Center on
Global Climate Change, climate change policies should
include storage of carbon dioxide in U.S. forests.
"Climate change is the major global environmental
challenge of our time and in order to deal with it
in the most cost-effective way, we need to consider
the full range of solutions and that includes carbon
storage in forests."
What is the expected effect that
these trees will have on our
lives in Phoenix?
During their
lifetime, these trees will remove
carbon dioxide from the air, store carbon in plant
tissues, and produce oxygen thereby helping to
decrease the impacts of global warming. The trees
will also prevent less runoff and erosion and prevent
transport of sediment into streams. This allows more
water to recharge the groundwater supply. The trees
will help to restore wildlife habitat and enhance
recreation areas.
Who are SRP's land management and tree
planting partners?
SRP is working
directly with the U.S. Forest Service.
This agency will be the long term land manager and
steward of the SRP Trees for Change program. They
contract with the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
Tribal members are involved in all stages of
planting projects, including:
- Collecting the cones from surviving
trees in the area
- extracting the seed from the cones
- sowing the trees into the greenhouses
- moving the seedlings to the shade houses to
prepare them for field planting
- selecting the planting locations
- planting the trees
- monitoring the seedlings for survival.
From 2002-2005, the tribe received "Rehabilitation Funds"
to plant trees administered through the Department of
Interior's Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) program.
After 2005, the burn was no longer eligible for any
new funding under this program.
What kinds of trees are being planted? Why
were these species chosen?
The primary type of tree being planted is the
Ponderosa Pine. This tree was chosen because
it is the native tree that was burned in the fire.
Moreover, Ponderosa Pines sequester great amounts of CO².
What is the cost of purchasing, planting,
and maintaining a tree through this program?
The cost to plant an acre of forest is approximately
$500 for 200 trees per acre. The survival rate is
estimated to be 35% where the end result would be
at least 70 living trees per acre. The survival
rate is significantly lower than 20 years ago,
when survival rate was 85%, because of drought
and global warming. All the above costs include
the tree, planting crews, delivery, and maintenance.
The cost of tree planting includes:
- Production of the tree:
average $1 per tree. $200 per acre of 200 trees
- Layout and contract administration:
average $90 per acre
- Contract planting by tribal entrepreneurs:
average $200 per acre
- Monitoring of tree survival: average $10 per acre
- Total cost $500 per acre or 70 surviving trees
Where are the trees being
planted? Can I visit the location?
The trees are being planted on a
100 acre site south of Highway 260 and Bison Ranch on
Forest Service land. The land is part of
the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest's Black Mesa
Ranger District headquartered in Overgaard. The site
is about one mile south of Bison Ranch. This is an
area destroyed in the Rodeo-Chedeski fires of 2002
which burned across 7.2 million acres.
Does drought affect the survival
of the trees?
Yes. Drought reduces the amount of water available
for trees to grow and stresses the trees making them
more susceptible to damage or mortality by insects
like pine bark beetles and diseases such as dwarf
mistletoe. Survival rates of the trees are directly
affected by drought.
How much carbon dioxide
does one tree absorb?
Sequestration rates vary depending on species
of tree and geographic location. SRP calculations
assume average sequestration rates per acre of
land reforested. After 30 years, the 72 trees
will have sequestered enough carbon dioxide to
offset the annual electricity usage of 26 households.
This table shows how much carbon dioxide is captured each year over a period of 30 years.
Year |
CO²/lbs. |
Year |
CO²/lbs. |
Year |
CO²/lbs. |
Year |
CO²/lbs. |
Year |
CO²/lbs. |
Year |
CO²/lbs. |
|---|
1 |
358 |
6 |
3,900 |
11 |
10,984 |
16 |
18,584 |
21 |
23,877 |
26 |
24,155 |
2 |
636 |
7 |
4,974 |
12 |
12,535 |
17 |
20,056 |
22 |
24,155 |
27 |
23,916 |
3 |
1,233 |
8 |
6,288 |
13 |
14,088 |
18 |
21,250 |
23 |
24,394 |
28 |
23,558 |
4 |
1,751 |
9 |
7,839 |
14 |
15,600 |
19 |
22,166 |
24 |
24,633 |
29 |
23,201 |
5 |
2,865 |
10 |
9,431 |
15 |
17,112 |
20 |
23,081 |
25 |
24,394 |
30 |
22,842 |
How long does it take for a
tree to mature?
The ponderosa pines are planted as seedlings
(approximately 1.5 - 2 years old) at time of
planting. Ponderosa pines typically reach maturity
at 70 - 250 years. Height at maturity is 55 - 90 ft.
on average.
Once I start contributing, how much longer
before the trees are planted?
Semi-annually. Planting season tends to be in
the fall and early spring. This site will include
updated information on the projects that we are
collecting funds for, as well as reporting on
past planting projects.
What are the long term goals of this
program? How long do you plan on
continuing this program?
SRP is working with the U.S. Forest Service to
continue to find appropriate sites for
future plantings.
In terms of its reforestation activities,
all Trees for Change projects adhere to the
following principles:
- All Trees for
Change forests are comprised of native trees,
designed to restore fully functioning natural systems
- SRP works with the nation's leading
public natural resource agencies to ensure that trees
are planted in permanently protected areas that have
long-term management plans to ensure accuracy and
certainty of carbon sequestration
- All Trees for Change projects result
in additional carbon dioxide capture compared to that
which would otherwise have occurred without native
tree planting
- Projects provide
additional environmental benefits including restored
wildlife habitat, improved air and water quality and
enhanced recreation areas.
If you have questions about Trees for
Change, you can call the SRP EarthWise hotline
at (602) 236-4425.