Our Production Varieties Greatly Increase Carbon Capture

Our Production Varieties of radiata pine can be expected to capture and store more than 25% more carbon from the air than existing forests. Existing radiata pine forests capture carbon at an average rate of about 16.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year, while our Production Varieties can be expected to capture about 20.6 tonnes. Therefore, while each year a hectare of existing pine plantation will absorb and retain (sequester) the total amount of CO2 produced by a large petrol-driven car (10litres/100km) traveling a distance of 66,000 km (the average distance traveled by each car per year), our improved Production Varieties will increase this to 80,000 km per year! Offsets of other human activities are similarly increased by using our Production Varieties.

Our Production Varieties can be used to maximize carbon sequestration potential through substantial increases in biomass accumulation resulting from increased growth rate and wood density. We are rapidly amplifying this new type of planting stock. The establishment of new plantations of our Production Varieties could greatly assist New Zealand in meeting its Kyoto commitments for reducing carbon levels, while also substituting for land uses (e.g. dairy and sheep farming) that are high emitters of greenhouse gases.