Carbon Fixing and Carbon Footprint Analysis of Natural and Artificial Christmas Trees

Daniel González Gaarslev

Master's thesis

Abstract:

A comparison of footprint of natural Christmas tree and plastic one is an important analyse namely in Spain where plastic trees are prevailing. This means to calculate the carbon absorption that natural Christmas trees can reach during their life-cycle based on some measurable parameters of living trees as a first step. This cannot be calculated for artificial Christmas trees as plastic does not absorb any carbon whereas wood does. Thus the carbon footprint of both processes of commercialization and distribution of both products should be estimated, in order to get an accurate and comparable value of the amount of CO2 that each type of tree emits to the atmosphere. For this analysis of all the activities involved in the processes of production and distribution should be done in order to give trustful data of the carbon emitted on each activity. The product the carbon footprint of the raw material should be quantified and also the carbon footprint generated at the end of the products life.A simplified computer programme could be developed which allows the user to enter the particular data from their situation (for example the size of the tree, the distance from the factory, if it is planted after Christmas) for being able to estimate, with an acceptable accuracy, the CO2 emissions of their available Christmas trees options.

Keywords

carbon footprint, carbon fixing, Christmas trees

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 12. 2. 2018

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedúci: prof. Ing. Ivo Kupka, CSc.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences

Master programme / odbor:
Forestry Engineering / Forestry, Water and Landscape Management