Shelling pots in the tundra

In the classic science section we bring you articles that are several years old but have historical value or are still interesting today.

The article was published in the third thousand section written by Ha'aretz, 6/8/1996

Why is it that in the vast tundras of Russia and northern Canada only grass grows and there are few trees, while in nearby areas where similar climatic conditions prevail, tall trees grow? This is the question Moshe Almaro asked himself, an Israeli aeronautical engineer living in Boston, where he is working on his doctorate in mechanical engineering at MIT.
The answer lies in the cold wave that passed over the planet in the 13th century, known as the "Little Ice Age", which wiped out the early Scandinavian settlement in Greenland and caused the disappearance of the oak forests that covered the areas in the high latitudes. These areas have not recovered, despite the increase in temperatures.
The governments in these places are interested in foresting large parts of the tundra. The land there is also suitable for forestry. It is also in the interest of governments in other countries whose forests have been damaged by fires or other causes. For example, recently about 60 million dunams of forest were destroyed in Malaysia. The Israeli method developed by the National Fund for Israel, for example, is not suitable for the scale of afforestation required in these countries. Afforestation in such places will last for hundreds and maybe even thousands of years.

Almaro has a simple idea how to solve this difficulty - to plant the trees from the air. For this purpose, he founded a company that will implement the idea.
The process, in his opinion, is not complicated. The seedlings are dropped from a plane and they are planted in the ground by themselves. It is understood that for this purpose each seedling must be equipped with an aerodynamic container - in the shape of a cone with the apex facing downwards, so that it does not turn over on the way. This container or pot should be made of a strong material, because the collision with the ground is expected to be at a speed of 200-300 km/h. But it also needs to break down in biological decomposition, to allow the tree to take root in the ground. The pot contains the amount of water and fertilizers needed by the tree for its initial development.
Before starting afforestation with this method, studies should be conducted on the effect of planting a forest in a place where another ecological balance has already been established, which trees should be examined for the area (according to the climate conditions and the amount of water) and also make sure that there are no people in the bombed area. It is not so pleasant to be hit by a flower pot moving at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour.
One of the common reasons for afforestation today is to defend against the warming of the atmosphere, which occurs due to the greenhouse effect. This effect is caused by the emission of carbon dioxide, which is the result of burning fuel, mainly in power plants and by vehicles.
According to Almaro, the funding for such actions will come, among other things, from the collection of a tax on carbon dioxide emissions at the power plants, as part of their license conditions 0 and such an arrangement is already taking shape in the United States.

Almaro is not convinced that the greenhouse effect is the result of human actions. According to him, the emission of carbon dioxide in natural forest fires, volcanic eruptions and other natural activities is still many times greater than the emission of carbon dioxide by humans.
Planting trees from the air was already proposed 25 years ago by John Walters, a resident of British Columbia in Canada. He proposed this for the purpose of producing wood - the quality of the environment was not considered, but even the few experiments that were done in those years were not successful, mainly because the structure of the pots was not aerodynamic. Today, Walters is employed by Almaro.
According to Almaro, who came last week for a quick visit to Israel, his method will make it possible to increase the area of ​​forests on the planet many times over. He is also looking for Israeli companies that will help in locating azurim for afforestation in the Middle East and nurseries for growing the seedlings. In the issue of "Business Week" from July 29, it is written that Almaro and his partner, Nicholas Patrick, hope to establish an international consortium with companies that will provide the airships (or planes) to locate the areas where it will be possible forestry According to Almaro, an experiment in the field has not yet been done, but he is optimistic when he tells about interest from governments, such as the South African government, and from private parties in Japan, Korea and Malaysia.