A STRATFORD-PERTH LOCAL CARBON OFFSET SOLUTION.
Green. That’s how we’d like the world to be.
Who We Are
Tree Trust is a branch of the Elora Environment Centre, a non-profit registered charity. We are committed to identifying and preserving mature trees in Ontario, thus sequestering carbon in the roots, trunk, and branches of these trees.
What We Do
We employ local certified arborists to assess and maintain candidate trees to extend their life. When possible, two saplings are planted nearby to take over when the mature tree eventually must be removed.
How To Contribute
The website tool helps to calculate your contribution to offset air and auto travel. In lieu of travel, you can also simply make a donation to offset your lifestyle carbon footprint. Tax receipts will be issued, and donors will be informed about the location of the trees receiving treatment.
About Carbon
Through photosynthesis, plants and trees fix carbon from the air and incorporate it into structural and physiological molecules. On average, trees are 50% carbon by weight, so trees incorporate more carbon each year as they grow. When trees die, the carbon is slowly released back into the soil as the dead tree decomposes or released to the atmosphere is the wood is burned.
The Ideal Canopy
A 40% canopy cove is ideal for cities and can be achieved if 52% of the available plantable place becomes canopy cover. Industrial, institutional, commercial, parkland and low density residential are prime targets for future planting efforts due to their large plantable space areas and low relative canopy cover.
Jessica Brommer, University of Guelph thesis 2011
Ecological Services of Trees
Ecosystem services are benefits that people obtain from ecosystems.
These are: regulation (regulation of climate and air quality, water purification, pollination), provisioning (food production, biomass, freshwater, mineral resources), support (nutrient cycling, primary production, soil formation), cultural services (recreation, aesthetic views, cultural heritage).
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Ecosystems and Human Well-being. Washington, DC: Island Press; 2005.
Take charge of your carbon emissions from travel and improve the environmental sustainability of your community.