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Tree Planting Offset Calculator

Calculate trees needed to offset emissions and the time to sequester them.

About Tree Planting Offset Calculator

A mature tree absorbs roughly 21 kg of CO2 annually, but young trees absorb far less, so the offset accrues gradually over decades. Planting must exceed the requirement to allow for mortality. Tree planting offsets emissions over decades while the emissions occur now, which is why it complements rather than replaces reducing emissions at source.

Formula

Tree Planting Offset

Trees = annual emissions ÷ sequestration per tree, adjusted for survival rate

sequestration rate
About 21 kg CO2 per mature tree per year
survival rate
Share of planted trees reaching maturity

Worked example

With the default values below, Tree Planting Offset Calculator returns Trees Required of 239. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Annual emissions to offsetminimum 0 kg CO2e
5,000 kg CO2e
Sequestration per tree per yearminimum 0.1 kg
21 kg
Tree survival rateaccepts 1–100 %
70 %
Cost per tree plantedminimum 0
3.5
Years to reach full sequestrationminimum 1 years
20 years

Results

Trees Required
239
Trees to Plant Allowing for Losses
342
Planting Cost
$1,197.00
Land Area Required
0.342 ha
Cumulative Offset by Maturity
50,190 kg CO2e

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Tree Planting Offset
  3. 3Trees Required= 239
  4. 4Trees to Plant Allowing for Losses= 342
  5. 5Planting Cost= 1,197.00
  6. 6Land Area Required= 0.342 ha
  7. 7Cumulative Offset by Maturity= 50,190 kg CO2e

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or tax into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Tree Planting Offset calculated?

Trees = annual emissions ÷ sequestration per tree, adjusted for survival rate A mature tree absorbs roughly 21 kg of CO2 annually, but young trees absorb far less, so the offset accrues gradually over decades. Planting must exceed the requirement to allow for mortality.

Why does Tree Planting Offset matter?

Tree planting offsets emissions over decades while the emissions occur now, which is why it complements rather than replaces reducing emissions at source.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 5 inputs: Annual emissions to offset, Sequestration per tree per year, Tree survival rate, Cost per tree planted, Years to reach full sequestration. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.

Related Calculators

Tree Planting Offset Calculator – Calculate Trees Required