Trees and Trains Add Up to Sustainable Business
Sep 14, 2016 7:30 AM ET
In 2015, Norfolk Southern completed a five-year community partnership to reforest 10,000 acres in the Mississippi Delta, a “Trees and Trains” initiative to mitigate carbon emissions the natural way. Partnering with GreenTrees, a reforestation program, NS invested $5.6 million to plant more than 6 million cottonwood and native hardwood trees on land cleared for farming years ago but that had become marginally productive as cropland.
Over 15 years, the trees planted will generate more than 1.1 million metric tons of carbon credits that Norfolk Southern can use to offset its business-related carbon emissions or sell to recoup its investment. Landowners participating in the program receive payments through NS’ investment in the program.
