Te Kākahu Kahukura includes enrichment planting of old-growth tree species that are now rare in the area (such as tōtara, mataī, kahikatea, and tītoki). Because seed sources are so limited the natural spread of these species will take many centuries. This process can be sped up through strategic enrichment plantings where these species are planted into existing areas of regenerating forest and restoration plantings at low densities, with the expectation that they will eventually become dominant in the mature forest.
We hope to plant 10,000 of these important podocarp species in the next five years! You can help.
Make a donation of trees
Your donation of $20 per podocarp tree will pay for the planting and maintenance towards maturity of these important enrichment trees. Trees will only be planted in legally protected areas where we can ensure they will thrive for decades (hopefully centuries) to come.
These trees will sequester carbon in to the future. If you’re interested in understanding how many trees need to be planted to mitigate your carbon footprint, read below for more information and calculator options.
Carbon calculators
Te Kākahu Kahukura has worked with Tāne’s Tree Trust, a non-profit charity to share access to their easy-to-use carbon calculator. The Tāne’s Tree Trust National Carbon Calculator helps you work out how many podocarp trees need to be planted to mitigate your carbon footprint from today as your trees grow over time.
You can also work out how much carbon dioxide your planted trees would help remove from the atmosphere if they thrive for a minimum life span of 50 years. The amount of CO2 your trees are capable of absorbing is based on a 50-year timeframe of continuous growth.
Remember, if you are calculating based on annual emissions, such as the use of your car or household activities, trees will need to be planted each year based on your annual carbon emissions — not just as a one-off.
The carbon calculator is owned, developed and offered for use free-of-charge by not-for-profit charity, Tane’s Tree Trust. You can access the carbon calculator here.
When you use the carbon calculator, you need to select either the ‘How many native trees are required to offset emissions from common activities?’ or the ‘How many native trees are required to offset my CO2 emissions?’ button. Then make sure you change the ‘Planting Mix’ so that it shows 100% trees and 0% shrubs. This is shown below.
Then click on ‘Calculate’ and the calculator will show how many trees you need to plant.
If you’d prefer to estimate your carbon footprint for other activities, or your carbon footprint more generally, there are a range of other calculators available to help you do that. They include https://sustainable.org.nz/annual-carbon-emissions-calculator/ and https://www.futurefit.nz/. There are several other calculators you can use as well.
Once you’ve estimated your footprint by using one of these calculators, then click on the ‘How many native trees are required to offset my CO2 emissions?’ button on the Tāne’s Tree Trust calculator. Remember to change the ‘Planting Mix’ so that it shows 100% trees and 0% shrubs.
Because the trees will be part of a managed biodiversity project with defined biodiversity objectives, the planting and management of the enrichment trees will be professionally managed. The cost of planting and maintenance of these enrichment trees for a period of at least five years to ensure that the trees are on the right path to maturity, is $20 a tree.
The Tane’s Tree Trust carbon calculator is not for use to determine an official CO2 offset, nor to determine benefits or liabilities under the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, or to make any claims of carbon neutrality. The calculations only show the potential of CO2 absorption based on a default setting of trees growing continuously for 50 years. See more info about the CO2 calculator, and the calculations derived from it below.
- The models used by Tāne’s Tree Trust for its carbon calculator are based on a number of growth models and allometric equations developed for New Zealand native trees and shrubs. The actual amount of carbon sequestered by a particular stand can vary from the calculator predictions and are dependent on-site quality, stand characteristics and management. Further information around the carbon calculator, the underlying models and methodologies, and understanding the calculations you derive from it is set out on Tāne’s Tree Trust website.
- The carbon calculator is provided as a guide only to what nature is capable of, as determined in accordance with the models used by Tāne’s Tree Trust and is based on the planting and continuing growth of the relevant trees for the term you select when you use the carbon calculator. The Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust and other participants in Te Kākahu Kahukura take no responsibility for the estimates provided by the carbon calculator. You use the carbon calculator and any resulting calculations at your risk.
- The carbon calculator is not for use to determine an official CO2 offset, nor for use to determine benefits or liabilities under the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.
- As we improve our monitoring tools we will be able to provide more robust data to inform the CO2 calculations for our total tree count, and such calculations may decrease or increase accordingly. Such calculations may also increase or decrease as Tāne’s Tree Trust takes any action to update its data and/or add functionality to its carbon calculator.
The calculations given in our 'Common scenarios' are based off emissions calculations given on the Toitu Envirocare Emissions Calculator.