The environmental stewardship aspect of almond production continues to improve year after year. President and CEO of the Almond Board of California (ABC), Clarice Turner recently highlighted the strides the industry has made in a recent conference with reporters. Data collection as part of ABC’s California Almond Stewardship Platform has helped to quantify the environmental impact of almonds. Turner noted one particular area where almonds stand as it relates to carbon storage.
“Every single year the orchards that we have in the ground today, sequester 24.5 million cars’ worth of carbon out of the air every year. That’s the equivalent of 3,134 Boeing 737s or 29 coal-fired power plants,” said Turner. “The trees alone are sequestering about 30 million metric tons of carbon every year, which is a huge number.”
Almond trees capture and store carbon dioxide in their wood and roots which accumulates as they grow, ultimately reducing emissions and overall environmental impact. An acre of almond trees can store 18 metric tons of carbon annually. At the end of an orchard’s lifespan, the practice of whole orchard recycling also helps with carbon storage. Farms that participate in the practice can capture 2.4 tons of carbon per acre. At the same time, orchard recycling can also benefit growers by improving soil and organic matter, increasing water holding capacity, and improving yields over time.
Another component of the almond industry’s environmental stewardship improvements relates to water. Turner pointed out that water used to grow each almond has decreased by 33 percent between 1990 and 2010. There has also been an additional 15 percent reduction in water usage between 2018 and 2022. “A lot of that is due to technology and knowhow and we’ve been championing the water recharge piece as well, and trying to do every single thing we can to be very mindful and good stewards of the land,” Turner explained.
Listen to the segment below.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West