Tree Planting for Climate Change

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Project overview

In 2008, the Wisconsin DNR teamed up with Polar Bears International, a non-profit organization, for a 10-year project to encourage Wisconsinites to plant and care for trees on their land and in their communities. Educational tools, financial support for on-the-ground tree planting and motivating people to take personal action to reduce their carbon footprint through planting trees are components of the project.

Though it might not seem obvious, planting trees in Wisconsin indirectly helps conserve polar bear habitat in the Arctic. Trees act as "carbon sinks" and absorb carbon from the air and convert it into plant material. Trees sequester this carbon in roots, trunks, stems and leaves while they grow, and in wood products after they are harvested. That means planting trees, whether in a rural or an urban setting, reduces carbon in the atmosphere. Less carbon in the atmosphere creates better conditions for retaining arctic ice longer and aids in improving polar bear habitat and survival.

Tree Planting for Climate Change project coordinator Pat Murphy visits the Arctic during polar bear migration.