How many trees does it take to capture and store one tonne of CO2?

We commissioned an independent research study (summary available on request) to determine how many tonnes of carbon a hectare of woodland locks away.

Our figures are based on the living trees only, which makes the calculation much simpler and provides a substantial buffer, as woodland soils can contain several time the amount of carbon as is held in the living material.

Basing the measurements around values derived from the Forestry Commission's own research, we estimate that a typical hectare of mature Woodland Trust woods will lock up around 400 tonnes of atmospheric CO2, or 108 tonnes of carbon.

This is an average over time. As individual trees die and decay they release their carbon, but provide a gap in the forest canopy into which new trees can grow. So although the amount of carbon in the woods at any one time might vary, we are confident that it does not drop below our estimated value.

This is why Woodland Carbon is sold per unit area, rather than per tree.

Increasing native woodland cover is more important than the exact number of trees planted.