Offsetting CO2 Emissions Tree Planting on the Prairies

The report evaluates tree planting in the Canadian prairie ecozone as a carbon sequestration strategy. It concludes that while tree planting provides significant environmental, economic, and social benefits—such as erosion control and energy savings—it cannot alone meet Canada's goal of stabilizing GHG emissions at 1990 levels. The document advocates for a combined approach including fuel switching, energy efficiency, and improved agricultural practices. It details the direct costs of planting in Saskatchewan and the potential for carbon credit markets, while noting that the long-term sequestration potential of trees exceeds that of agricultural crops.

• Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 577 Mt of CO2 equivalent, with forecasts suggesting they would rise to 645 Mt by the year 2000, approximately 13% higher than 1990 levels.
• Tree planting is considered a viable but limited solution for carbon sequestration; it must be used alongside fuel switching, energy efficiency, and improved farming practices to be effective.
• In Saskatchewan, the direct cost of planting trees is tentatively estimated at $1,215 per hectare, with the cost per tonne of carbon fixed ranging from $9.14 to $37.04 depending on the tree and soil type.
• Trees provide significant non-carbon benefits, including reducing home heating costs in Saskatchewan by 17.5% to 25% through shelterbelt effects and reducing urban cooling costs by 10% to 43%.
• While agricultural practices like no-till and reduced summer fallow can increase soil carbon, trees have a greater long-term sequestration potential because they fix carbon as long as their biomass increases.
• The report identifies several barriers to a successful carbon credit market, including high transaction costs, legal uncertainties, and the difficulty of accurately measuring carbon fixed by trees.
• Using tree biomass for energy production is currently expensive; electricity from wood is estimated to be 20% to 80% more expensive than power from fossil fuels without subsidies.
• Alberta's forests and peatlands were estimated to sequester roughly 27% of the province's total CO2 emissions (24% from forests and 3% from peatlands).

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Offsetting CO2 Emissions Tree Planting on the Prairies. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/offsetting_climate.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Offsetting CO2 Emissions Tree Planting on the Prairies. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/offsetting_climate.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Offsetting CO2 Emissions Tree Planting on the Prairies |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/offsetting_climate.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndoffsetting, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Offsetting CO2 Emissions Tree Planting on the Prairies}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/offsetting_climate.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }