Notes on Supertrees and Climate Collapse

The Amazon's Rainmaker: Brazil Nut Tree

• The Brazil nut tree's primary function is its ability to channel water from the soil to the atmosphere, effectively creating rainfall in the Amazon rainforest.
• A single Brazil nut tree can transport over 260 gallons (3.5 full bathtubs) of water daily from its roots to the air through its leaves.
• Process of Rain Production:
  1. Water is absorbed from the soil through the tree's roots.
  2. The water ascends through the trunk.
  3. The leaves liberate water and particles, facilitating the formation of rain clouds.
  4. Rain falls back onto the forest, sustaining the ecosystem.
• The Brazil nut tree contributes to approximately half of the Amazon rainforest's rainfall, which spans across eight countries.
• The rainfall generated by the Amazon is crucial for regions far beyond the rainforest itself; for example, it provides drinking water to the 21 million residents of the São Paulo metro area, roughly 1,500 miles away, and is essential for farmers throughout Brazil for irrigation.
• The Amazon rainforest serves as a natural air conditioner, helping to maintain lower temperatures. Deforestation can lead to a temperature increase of at least 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Scientists at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) use high towers (reaching 1,066 feet, similar to the height of New York's Chrysler Building) to study the rainforest canopy.
• Measurements taken at ATTO include wind speed, moisture levels, and chemical fluxes between the trees and the atmosphere, which are essential for understanding rain cloud formation.
• Deforestation, driven by soy farming, cattle ranching, and mining, poses a significant threat to the Amazon.
• It is estimated that with current deforestation rates, 25\% of the Amazon could be destroyed in 15 to 30 years, potentially leading to an irreversible collapse and the transformation of the rainforest into a dry savanna.
• Increased deforestation leads to more frequent droughts, which endangers the food and water supplies and the livelihoods of millions of people.
• Scientists study these trees to predict the consequences of deforestation, highlighting the risks to Brazil, South America, and the entire planet if the Amazon is destroyed.

Indonesia's Carbon Guardian: Stilt Mangrove

• Stilt mangroves offer communities protection from typhoons and tsunamis and serve as critical habitats for fish and shrimp.
• Stilt mangroves excel at carbon sequestration, which involves removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it.
• Process of Carbon Sequestration:
  1. The tree absorbs carbon from the atmosphere and uses it to grow.
  2. Carbon-rich plant material falls off the tree and settles into the soil.
  3. The carbon is sealed off from the air in the wet soil, preventing its release back into the atmosphere for millennia.
• Indonesia contains 23\% of the world's mangrove areas, covering 7.1 million acres (about the size of Belgium).
• Mangroves can store five to ten times more carbon per acre than rainforests, storing carbon both above ground and up to 10 feet below the soil as "blue carbon."
• Preserving and restoring mangroves is considered a promising "negative emissions technology" due to their carbon storage capabilities.
• Indonesia has lost 40\% of its mangroves over the past three decades due to palm oil plantations, shrimp farms, and pollution.
• Indonesian scientists are actively measuring the carbon stored in mangroves to demonstrate their potential in fighting climate change.
• Mangrove deforestation leads to the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases.
• Given that Indonesia's mangroves hold the largest blue carbon stocks globally, stricter deforestation laws are crucial to prevent accelerating the climate crisis and harming coastal communities.

Congo's Forest Caretaker: Afrormosia Tree

• The Congo Basin is known for its extensive biodiversity.
• Afrormosia is a carbon sink as well as its resilience and ability to support the surrounding ecosystem.
• Ecological Support Mechanisms:
  1. Provides food for birds and monkeys through its unripe seed pods when food is scarce.
  2. Offers shade with its leafy canopy for plant and animal species on the ground.
  3. Withstands natural and man-made fires due to its flame-resistant bark, aiding in the recovery of other species.
• Afrormosia populations have significantly declined in Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Cameroon since 1950.
• Afrormosia survives primarily in Congo due to the country’s landlocked geography, poor infrastructure, and ongoing violence, though it remains at risk.
• A high demand exists for Afrormosia's timber, valued for its consistent texture and resistance to decay.
• Sustainable management of Afrormosia is essential for maintaining forest resilience and supporting the livelihoods of local communities.
• Scientists at the Yangambi Research Station are exploring ways to enhance the tree's growth, which is naturally slow.
• Afrormosia requires ample light to grow, typically waiting for openings in the forest canopy to race upward.
• Researchers are studying how Afrormosia's growth responds to various factors like light, drought, logging, and climate change.
• Efforts are underway to determine the ideal conditions for Afrormosia to thrive, with concerns that excessive logging could threaten the entire forest ecosystem.
• Cultivation of Afrormosia by farmers is seen as a potential solution, but faces challenges from both legal and illegal logging driven by markets in the US, Europe, and China.
• Promoting the purchase of sustainably harvested Afrormosia and supporting governmental efforts to punish illegal loggers are crucial for its protection.
• The extinction of Afrormosia could destabilize the forest ecosystem, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and lead to more chaotic weather patterns in Africa and worldwide.

Importance of Protecting Supertrees

• Brazil nut, stilt mangrove, and Afrormosia each contribute in the communities around them and to those on other continents.
• The potential collapse of ecosystems due to deforestation, such as the Amazon reaching a tipping point or the destruction of mangroves, has far-reaching, cascading effects.
• The consequences of these ecological losses will be felt within our lifetimes, emphasizing the urgency of conservation efforts.