Tree Absorbtion Of CO2

I want to know how big the tree is, so that the numbers mean something.

What species?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis

1. Cut the tree down
2. Count the rings at the base of the trunk. That gives you its age.
3. Weigh it
4. Dry it thoroughly
5. Weigh it again. That gives you the moisture content.
6. Chop it up
7. Burn it
8. Weigh the ashes. That gives you the sugars content of the witht of burnt stuff near enough using chemistry: C₆H₁₂O₆ + 9O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O
9. Pro-rata that to the next tree along. Or you could do 1 - 8 on that until either you have enough data or the Environment Agency slaps a Preservation Order on them.

THANKS

if you burn it the ash will be the metal oxides remaining. The loss is mostly carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur, etc.. There is an approximate ratio of these elements in all plants that you can use to back estimate the carbon content, or you could be more accurate and analyze the off gas in a gc/ms and make a determination of each element content based on the off gas concentrations. estimating the sugar content from ash requires an assumption about the carbon content, and another assumption about the ratio of carbon content to sugar (keep in mind carbon is in many more biological compounds than sugar). Two leaps of faith will create a product of errors, so you could be way off.

Guest - who are you?

SATHIYAN FROM INDIA (TN)

You have to look at how much growth weight you add each year. This is usually calculated on a per acre (or per hectare) basis, reflecting your area and the dominant species. If you have a forestry department, they usually have that information.

THANKS

If you are after the net gain in carbon from a forest, rather than an individual tree, then it depends on whether it is a maturing, or a mature, forest. A maturing forest will be gaining mass, while a mature forest will be more stable. One of the most stable mature forests is an upland tropical rain forest. The carbon layer on the forest floor is so thin, the dead vegetation decays into carbon dioxide and methane very quickly. It is emitting as much carbon as it is absorbing from the atmosphere. Swamps and marshes remove more CO2 from the air, because they build up thick layers of peat and other dead vegetation in the anaerobic conditions that, with time and pressure, could eventually become coal.

THANKS

The MWRDGC had a seminar on 9/7/2007 on this subject. The power point presentation has not be posted yet. However, check

http://www.mwrdgc.dst.il.us/ and in a couple of weeks I would expect it on line.

Meantime you could review this presentation:

http://www.mwrdgc.dst.il.us/RD/Seminar_series/Seminar%20presentation%20MWRD%20July%2027%202007.pdf

Not the hard numbers you are looking for, but some general information.

THANKS FOR YOUR INFORMATION.

PLS UPDATE ME FURTHER INFORMATIONS.

BR

SATHIYAN

Build a bubble around the tree you are interested in testing, control the environment and take records. You could even introduce set intervals of certain levels of CO2, etc. Sounds like a great Stanford experiment.

Outside of that, I like the Park Ranger idea. Those guys spend hours upon hours in those little logs huts thinking about trees and stuff.

THANKS