The technology hasn’t been used much on trees, but that may be about to change; as climate change alarm bells clang, scientists and engineers are looking for any possible way to draw more carbon out of the atmosphere, and one group of researchers wondered whether it might be possible to use nature’s original carbon capture tool to help us out.
This means the trees can grow in less-than-ideal soil where there’s a high concentration of heavy metals ; the company says it’s actively working with private landowners to plant trees on under-performing land, such as abandoned mine land.
It’s important to note that the saplings were grown in a greenhouse under closely-controlled conditions, and the results could vary widely when the same seeds are planted outdoors in nature.
It probably wasn’t part of the plan to have glaciers and ice caps melt, sea levels rise, the entire planet warm up, and disasters like floods and fires become commonplace.
And of course, carbon-sucking trees will just be one tool in the vast toolbox of tinkering we’ll need to truly repair the damage done.