With right technique, trees can survive in desert, says developer

Quantum Commodity Intelligence - Tropical trees planted for a carbon project in the Arab Peninsula's desert will be able to survive the area's hot and arid conditions even after the supply of water has been cut, said developer Dake Rechsand on Thursday.

Dake Rechsand, a company based in the UAE that specialises in sand products, filed earlier this week an application for a voluntary carbon project called Afforestation Activity on Deserted Wasteland in the Arab Peninsula (VCS3146) that is the first of its kind.

The project, which targets carbon removals of 752,122 mt per year over 80 years, will plant species such as neem and acacia on 'breathable sand' supplied by the company.

Chandra Dake, the company's CEO, says he has been perfecting the technology in China's Gobi desert, where a 'green wall' is being planted to combat sand storms.

About 95% of the trees planted in the Gobi desert have survived after 10 years, he says, even with rainfall occurring just three to four times a year.

The Arab Peninsula has vast areas of unused land that could be used to plant trees, thus increasing carbon sequestration and helping biodiversity thrive.

"This is the first project of its kind for the Middle East... our breathable sand can allow plants to survive with very low amounts of water," says Dake.

In the UAE, the company initially conducted a research plantation of 10-15 hectares and found that, to date, all trees have survived.

For its project, which will cover a much larger area of 23,000 hectares, it will plant seedlings of 3-4 feet on top desert soil and a layer of 1 centimetre of special sand, or about 5-10 kilos per plant, which will help retain the water.

In addition, for the first three years of the project, when the trees grow the fastest, a supply of artificial water will be provided.

Around half of all treated wastewater in Abu Dhabi, or about 200,000 cubic metres per day, goes unused, thus providing a ready supply for the project, said Dake.

VCS3146 plans to expand in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia aims to plant 10 billion trees in the coming decades as part of a campaign unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year.

The country also plans to work with other Arab states to plant 40 billion trees.