A new UCL-led study reveals that giant sequoias, presented to the UK 160 years ago, are well-adapted and effective at carbon sequestration, absorbing about 85 kgs of carbon yearly. Making use of innovative technology, the research study provides a crucial understanding of these trees growth patterns and their possible environmental benefits, emphasizing the significance of future studies on their adaptation to the UKs evolving climate. Redwood Trees at Wakehurst Horsebridge Woods. Credit: Visual Air © RBG KewA brand-new study, led by UCL researchers in cooperation with experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, reveals that giant sequoia trees, when presented to the UK, flourish nearly in addition to they do in their initial habitats, and can taking in significant amounts of carbon throughout their substantial lifespans.The brand-new research, released in Royal Society Open Science, discovered that the most enormous species of redwood trees, Sequoiadendron giganteum, understood as the giant sequoia, can potentially pull approximately 85 kilograms of carbon out of the atmosphere each year. Presented to the UK 160 years ago, this is the first time the trees development rate and resilience in the UK have actually been analyzed.There are an approximated half a million redwoods in the UK and more are being planted, partly due to their public appeal. In the wild, they are endangered with less than 80,000 giant sequoias remaining in their native California range.Research Methods and FindingsLead author Ross Holland, previously a Masters trainee at the UCL Department of Geography and now at East Point Geo, stated: “Giant sequoias are a few of the most huge organisms on Earth and in their native range comprise a few of the most carbon-dense forests on the planet due to their terrific age. We found that UK redwoods are well adjusted to the UK and able to catch a big amount of carbon dioxide. We hope that these findings can help guide choices on future tree planting and management.”3D laser scan of a Giant Sequoia with a green block to represent the height of a person. Credit: Mathilda DigbyThe scientists stress that the most reliable method to mitigate climate change is by lowering carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. Trees can help by taking in carbon emissions, however they also offer other crucial environment, community, and wellbeing benefits.Giant sequoias grow rapidly and are likewise a few of the longest-lived organisms in the world, maintaining their fast development throughout their 3,000-plus year lives. They can mature to 90 meters tall, and while not quite the tallest in the world (that title goes to their closely-related cousin the coastal redwood), their large trunks grow out, offering them the best volumes. In addition, theyre fire resistant, able to endure blazes that would erase forests of other tree species.Climate Change Mitigation and Future ConsiderationsThe trees grow best in their native range in Californias Sierra Nevada mountains, so the researchers desired to gauge how they fare under UK environments, which are milder and with a wider variety of rainfall. They assembled the first dedicated map of giant sequoias in the UK, mapping nearly 5,000 individual recognized trees.The team checked out three groves of trees, situated at Wakehurst, the wild botanic garden of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Sussex, Havering Country Park in Essex, and Benmore Botanical Garden in Scotland. They established terrestrial laser scanners to map the trees in 3D, allowing them to determine the heights and volumes very precisely and to develop 3D designs of 97 representative trees.Co-author Dr Phil Wilkes, previously of UCL and now at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said: “Using the current laser scanning innovation has allowed us to properly weigh these huge trees without having to cut them down. This means we can measure many more trees in addition to revisit them in the future.”3D laser scan of 2 Giant Sequoias. Credit: Mathilda DigbyThe highest tree they discovered determined about 180 feet high (54.87 meters)– huge compared with the majority of native UK species, however dwarfed by their American counterparts. This is in part since of the UK sequoias youth: the oldest giant sequoias in the UK are those at Benmore, the earliest dating to 1863. Understanding when the trees were planted allowed the team to compute their typical development rates under the varying climate conditions in between the 3 UK websites. They found that the trees at Kew and Benmore grew at comparable rates as their United States equivalents, although growing somewhat taller and slimmer at Benmore compared to Wakehurst, while at Havering the trees grew more slowly, likely due to less rains in the region and competition from dense local woodland.Concluding Remarks on Giant Sequoias in the UKThough huge sequoia stack up well for sequestering carbon, the scientists caution that planting trees needs long-term commitment, and consideration needs to be given to how well they will grow in the UKs altering environment in the next 160 years and beyond.Senior author, Professor Mat Disney (UCL Geography), said: “These outcomes offer us an essential baseline for estimating how well giant sequoias are doing in the UK environment. Presently, these trees are most likely more vital for their aesthetic and historic interest than they are for solving the climate crisis. As more are planted we require to know how they will grow.”The history of these trees in Britain is fascinating– at first as symbols of wealth and power, through to now being widely planted in woodlands and parks. They are iconic, however there is practically no work on how fast they grow or how well they will perform in the UKs altering climate. I find it amazing to see these giants dotted throughout the landscape and see how rapidly they are growing.”Reference: “Data for: UK redwoods terrestrial laser scanner point clouds” by Mathias Disney, Ross Holland, Phil Wilkes, Guilherme Castro, Cecilia Chavana-Bryant, Ron Levy, Justin Moat, Thomas Robson, Tim Wilkinson and Wanxin Yang, 15 May 2023, Dryad.DOI: 10.5061/ dryad.ttdz08m3nThis research study was moneyed by NERC National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) and in conjunction with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Credit: Visual Air © RBG KewA brand-new research study, led by UCL researchers in cooperation with experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, reveals that giant sequoia trees, when presented to the UK, grow nearly as well as they do in their initial environments, and are capable of soaking up considerable amounts of carbon throughout their comprehensive lifespans.The brand-new research study, released in Royal Society Open Science, discovered that the most huge types of redwood trees, Sequoiadendron giganteum, known as the huge sequoia, can potentially pull an average of 85 kilograms of carbon out of the atmosphere per year. Introduced to the UK 160 years ago, this is the very first time the trees growth rate and durability in the UK have actually been analyzed.There are an estimated half a million redwoods in the UK and more are being planted, partially due to their public appeal. In addition, theyre fire resistant, able to make it through blazes that would clean out forests of other tree species.Climate Change Mitigation and Future ConsiderationsThe trees grow best in their native range in Californias Sierra Nevada mountains, so the researchers wanted to determine how they fare under UK climates, which are milder and with a wider range of rainfall. They assembled the first dedicated map of giant sequoias in the UK, mapping nearly 5,000 private recognized trees.The team checked out three groves of trees, located at Wakehurst, the wild botanic garden of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Sussex, Havering Country Park in Essex, and Benmore Botanical Garden in Scotland. They found that the trees at Kew and Benmore grew at similar rates as their United States equivalents, although growing slightly taller and slimmer at Benmore compared to Wakehurst, while at Havering the trees grew more gradually, likely due to less rains in the region and competitors from thick regional woodland.Concluding Remarks on Giant Sequoias in the UKThough giant sequoia stack up well for sequestering carbon, the researchers caution that planting trees requires long-term commitment, and factor to consider requires to be provided to how well they will thrive in the UKs changing environment in the next 160 years and beyond.Senior author, Professor Mat Disney (UCL Geography), stated: “These results provide us a crucial standard for estimating how well giant sequoias are doing in the UK environment.
