Climate change is an issue of global concern . Urban trees can help mitigate climate change by sequestering atmospheric carbon ( from carbon dioxide ) in tissue and by altering energy use in buildings , and consequently altering carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel based power sources ( Abdollahi et al 2000 ).
Trees reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by sequestering carbon in new growth every year . The amount of carbon annually sequestered is increased with the size and health of the trees . The gross sequestration of Mount Auburn Cemetery Sample Plots trees is about 17.56 tons of carbon per year with an associated value of $ 2.99 thousand . See Appendix I for more details on methods .
Carbon storage is another way trees can influence global climate change . As a tree grows , it stores more carbon by holding it in its accumulated tissue . As a tree dies and decays , it releases much of the stored carbon back into the atmosphere . Thus , carbon storage is an indication of the amount of carbon that can be released if trees are allowed to die and decompose . Maintaining healthy trees will keep the carbon stored in trees , but tree maintenance can contribute to carbon emissions ( Nowak et al 2002c ). When a tree dies , using the wood in long-term wood products , to heat buildings , or to produce energy will help reduce carbon emissions from wood decomposition or from fossilfuel or wood-based power plants .
I-Tree Report of Ecosystem Analysis at Mount Auburn Cemetery Insert to the Climate Action and Sustainability Plan
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