Arbor Day 2021 – The Need To Monitor Trees Planted

Friday the 30th of April 2021, today we celebrate Arbor Day – A day dedicated to trees.

The importance of trees and the planets forests are at the centre of many major environmental and development issues – including conservation of biological diversity, climate change, food security, sustainable livelihoods, and the recreation for improved quality of life.

The value of tree’s is something we have mentioned many times in our blogs. And traditionally on Arbor Day, the most effective way to celebrate is to plant a tree. This article takes a slightly different angle in that we propose the question, what happens when the trees are planted? We are all for planting as many tree’s as possible and ensuring their longevity is becoming a key cog in the fight for the environment.

The Maths

A typical tree can absorb around 21 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year; however, this figure is only achieved when the tree is fully grown – saplings will absorb significantly less than this. Over a lifetime of 100 years, one tree could absorb around a tonne of CO2.

The importance of a tree reaching its full growth potential is where the value of planting tree’s is truly unlocked. With many initiatives across the globe geared towards planting trees and offsetting carbon, the need to monitor these planted forests to correctly calculate the effect they are having in offsetting carbon is becoming increasingly vital.

Using Remote Sensing Technology

Swift Geospatial has designed and implemented an online portal capable of providing a proactive forestry monitoring solution for Natural and Commercial forestry. This is achieved by using the latest high resolution multispectral satellite imagery and cloud processing technology.

The monitoring results can be generated and delivered at a frequency that suits the business operation and budget. This can be quarterly, monthly, weekly, or even now daily. With dynamic cloud-based processing, our solutions can scale from one compartment to an entire plantation covering many thousands of square kilometres.

We are currently monitoring forests both natural and plantation across the globe to wonderous results.

In doing our part to offset our companies carbon footprint, Swift Geospatial have signed up through Ecologi to create a Carbon Positive Workforce and as a company have made a commitment to offset our carbon footprint.

If a tree falls in the forest, and there’s nobody around to hear, does it make a sound? Alternatively we believe – If a tree is planted to reduce the effects of global warming and then not monitored, does it truly make a difference?

Ecosia

Ecosia is a search engine that plants tree’s as you go about your daily online internet searches. Their belief is that trees are changing everything and with your internet searches enabling them to plant trees in some of the harshest places on Earth.

Swift Geospatial has recently partnered with Ecosia to assist in monitoring the health and longevity of these forests to ensure the trees planted are given the love, care and attention they require to thrive and help us in our fight against climate change. We look forward to bringing you more information about this partnership in due course.

This Arbor Day, we encourage all businesses to reduce and investigate offsetting their carbon with projects such as Ecologi and in addition using the Ecosia search engine to plant trees everywhere in the world where they are needed most.

For further forestry and plantation monitoring information contact Michael Breetzke at Swift Geospatial at Michael@swiftgeospatial.solutions today and let’s start ensuring the survival of the great efforts being made across the globe.