How many medium sized trees does it take to off set the carbon emissions from one average SUV?

Question

driving 15,000 miles per year.....

Answer 1

3 parts medium sized trees, 2 parts ocean seaweed, and 1 part algae

Answer 2

To offset the carbon released by driving a SUV 15,000 miles a year, therefore, it takes at least 35 medium-sized healthy trees to convert CO2 into wood.

How much carbon dioxide does a typical SUV release into the atmosphere, and how many trees does it take to absorb all that CO2? The answer is anybody's guess, but here's my take on it:

One gallon of gasoline weighs about 8 lbs. Of that, about 7 lbs. is carbon (the rest is hydrogen). If a typical SUV gets 15 mpg on the highway and is driven 15,000 miles a year, it will burn 1,000 gallons of gas. That puts about 7,000 lbs. of carbon into the atmosphere (combined with oxygen as CO2).

A mature tree 40 to 50 feet high weighs around 10,000 lbs. Of that, at least 7,000 lbs. is organic carbon compounds (the exact amount will vary depending on the species and the density of the wood). To reach this size, most trees need 30 to 40 years of growing time. This too will vary depending on the species of tree, its geographical location, soil conditions and weather. Trees in hot, wet tropical climates grow a lot faster than trees in northern climates.

Assuming these estimates are reasonably accurate, one mature tree contains about as much carbon as the 1,000 gallons of gasoline burned by a typical SUV in a year. But remember it takes 30 to 40 years for the tree to absorb all that carbon from the atmosphere. Photosynthesis takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. In fact, leaves use sunlight and water during the daytime only to convert CO2 from the atmosphere into tree sap (glucose) that the tree then uses to grow and build more wood fiber. The tree's average carbon uptake, therefore, may only be about 200 lbs. of carbon a year.

Answer 3

my guess is 1000