Facts About Trees
- Two thirds of Ontario, an area totaling 71.1 million hectares, is covered by forests - a land area equivalent in size to Germany, Italy and the Netherlands combined. Our forests can absorb a staggering 425 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. And since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, that's good for our climate.
- Fifty million trees will absorb enough carbon dioxide in one year to equal 6 billion kilometres of car travel. That's like taking 3 million commuting cars off the road for a year.
- Trees reduce air conditioning needs by up to 30 per cent by providing shade for homes and businesses.
- Ancient cedars over 1,500 years old can be found growing on the Niagara Escarpment.
- Ontario's official tree, the eastern white pine, is the tallest tree species in eastern North America, reaching heights greater than 30 metres.
- Black spruce is the most common tree in Ontario, making up more than 37 per cent of the province's growing stock.
- Acting as carbon "sinks", growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into the main components of wood, including cellulose, to form stems, branches and roots.
