Carbon Sequestration

• Total carbon sequestered to date: over 80 kg

• Oakville Trafalgar H.S. and Appleby College sequestered 20.075kg and 19.62kg, respectively

• This is significantly more than other schools (0-8kg)

• Environmental stewardship of site and initiative/effort are important to increasing carbon storage

Basswood19%

Bur Oak20%

Hop Tree10%

Sugar Maple32%

White Spruce20%

Total Carbon Sequestered in (kg) for five tree species on the P4C sites

Health

% A %D %I %LB %HB % M %S0

102030405060708090

Health status of P4C tree species planted in 2008

BasswoodBur OakHop TreeSugar MapleWhite Spruce

Health Status

% o

f tre

es

% A %D %I %LB %HB % M %S0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Health status of P4C tree species planted in 2010

BasswoodBur OakHop TreeSugar MapleWhite Spruce

Health Status

% o

f tre

es

% A %D %I %LB %HB % M %S0

102030405060708090

100

Health status of P4C tree species planted in 2011

BasswoodBur OakHop TreeSugar MapleWhite Spruce

Health Status

% o

f tre

es • Tree loss due to mortality or tree removal from site was 4%

• Majority of trees are healthy/alive• Low browsing, sick/infested, dead/

dying, basal sprouting percentages were recorded

Average change in crown area (m2) for P4C tree species planted 2008

Applewood Heights Herb Campbell Appleby College Oakville Trafalgar Christ the King0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Figure 6: Average change in crown area (m2) for P4C tree species planted 2008

BasswoodBur OakHop TreeSugar MapleWhite Spruce

School

Aver

age

chan

ge in

crow

n ar

ea (m

2)

Tree Canopy and Crown Area

View of Toronto’s tree canopy(Credit: City of Toronto)

Tree canopy cover for mature tree species in P4C program

Species Spread (m) Area (m2) Area (m2)/P4C Site

Basswood 13 169 507

Bur Oak 26 676 2028

Hop Tree 3-5 9-25 27-75

Sugar Maple 13 169 507

White Spruce 7 49 147

Total 3216-3264 (3.2-3.3km2)

Conclusions • More long-term monitoring plots should be

established so that trends may be studied and to see if results are replicated

• Environmental stewardship may significantly increase growth of trees which significantly increases carbon storage

• We can study climate change impacts on trees and provide valuable environmental education at the same time

• Young citizen scientists’ data is important and P4C helps to spread environmental awareness

Measuring Our Resources

• Students measure and monitor the trees already located on their schoolyard grounds

• Trees are tagged and numbered

• Measurements taken include height, DBH, and crown width. Tree health is also assessed and tree species are identified

• Students create a sketch map of the trees that were measured

• Data is inputted into database

Trees are numbered and tagged...

…and then growth measurements are taken

Height Measurement using clinometers

Tree ID and Health StatusSTATUS CODEA: AliveB: Dead S: StandingL: LeaningP: ProneHEALTH CODEMechanical DamageNN: NoneBD: Bark DamageTB: Significant Top BreakageRD: Visible Root DamageCG: Complete Girding

DefectsNN: NoneDV: Minor Damage/VandalismAB: Animal BrowsingII: Insect InfestationSD: Symptom of Disease

GPS/GIS

Thank you!

ACER905-891-6004

Kathryn.chin@acer-acre.ca