NUVA already rescued about 5 hectares of oak forest (around 12 acres or 50.000 square meters) and saved thousands of trees from felling, to begin with. The planting of new trees around the laboratory is already been planned and funded.
The trees are a sacred source of life to us and must be protected.
According to multiple accounts, the oak tree is the most CO2 absorbing tree on the planet. It is a real champion at carbon sequestration with around 4500 Kg (10k pounds) during its lifetime. Moreover recent studies affirm that older oak trees (40 years) are even more efficient.
The Mannarolo forest is diverse and beautiful. Some native species are unique. The Cerri grounds (Quercus cerri, the oak) are coppice, that is, they are being cut every 20 years according to the criteria of the former forestry body. Luckily, the cut takes place with relative respect and with an organization that is still family-like. This is a good setup compared to speculations that took place in other areas, including regional or national parks where excessive deforestation is an issue).
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As you may already know behind NUVA there’s me, Riccardo the only permanent resident of the lab. My idea, is to give to the woods a different future. In a rush of pragmatism, I acquired the aforementioned 5 hectares of forest, preserving them from the imminent cutting, already scheduled in the registers of the former forestry body. It’s not a huge area but it’s what I was able to afford. This redeemed forest will be cared for and used as an open-air art gallery, through a path of about one kilometer and a half that will also be represented on the Internet to be enjoyed by anyone. This is a very important first step. In the long run, however, it is necessary to use a different strategy that can be extended to the whole territory for an even more respectful exploitation by involving local landowners and raising awareness among local forest companies towards the sale of carbon credits as per the Kyoto and Paris agreements. Where not financially attractive or where it makes woodcutter families lack work, to compensate with “plant a tree” style crowdfunding initiatives. These credits are particularly studied for the reduction of deforestation and reforestation which is also the main objective of NUVA, thus preserving the entire upper Mannarolo valley and the neighboring valleys. A very large territory maintained by a few owners.
The rescued part of the Nuva Forest absorbs an yearly estimate of 225 tons* of CO2 from the atmosphere thanks to its oaks asset.
This the yearly equivalent of the average emission of 180 cars in EU.
* Esteem based on data from EEA European Environment Agency, European Commission EC, Environment Defense Fund EDF, Driving mobility for Europe ACEA, Odisee-Mure, Trends in Plants Science TPS
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