![]() Plus, palm trees take several years to mature. Moreover, many kinds of hearts of palm cannot be harvested without killing the tree, which leaves behind a lot of dead trees, which then release the CO2 stored in them. ![]() The rainforests of South America are known to be the green lung of our planet.Īs a result, cutting down rainforests to plant palm trees is harmful to our climate. In addition, palm trees are often cultivated in monocultures in South America and rainforest is cut down for this purpose. Hearts of palm can contribute to deforestation.Īs mentioned earlier, hearts of palm can be harvested illegally to meet demand which interferes with sustainable production and forest management. Do Hearts of Palm Contribute to Deforestation? Palms with multiple stems do not always solely rely on seeds as the branches can be propagated, but recklessly harvesting them can still mean there are not enough stalks left to propagate. Palm trees reproduce via seeds, but these seeds are spread through the forest by animals feasting on their fruit and then dispersing the seeds via feces.ĭisrupting this ecosystem can impact how many new trees are grown – and can also remove a source of shelter and food for wildlife. Wild hearts of palm are also still a vital part of the ecosystem. While palm trees aren’t the best defense against climate change, killing them can still release some CO2. The average mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of CO2 per year, but a palm tree in Florida may only absorb five pounds per year. When trees die or are burned, they release this carbon back into the atmosphere. Most types of trees absorb CO2 and release oxygen, but palm trees do little of both. Research has noted emissions from food miles could be cut by 0.27 GtCO2e (gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent) and food production emissions by 0.11 GtCO2e by solely relying on food grown domestically. So if you do not live in a region that produces hearts of palm, the food miles are going to be quite high. While hearts of palm can be grown in US states such as Florida, they are protected by conservation laws, so most hearts of palm you’ll find in a grocery store were not grown and harvested in the US.Ĭosta Rica exports approximately 16 million pounds of hearts of palm annually. Hearts of palm are often grown in Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, or Costa Rica. There are also food miles to consider. The term food miles refers to how far food travels before getting to consumers. Harvesting older palm trees is also unsustainable since, in some cases, this means killing trees that produce seeds.ĭemand for hearts of palm can put pressure on palm tree populations, cause deforestation, and even result in extinction.Īlthough there are regulations in place in many regions to protect the palm populations, some countries, like Brazil, have a history of illegal palm harvesting. So, although hearts of palm are often sourced from young trees, it may still take some time for palm trees to replenish themselves. It can take up to two decades for a palm tree to reach its full height, but some trees providing hearts of palm can take between eight to ten years before they are mature enough for harvesting. Hearts of palm are usually sourced from young trees, so they are not given time to mature. ![]() With that said, it’s still possible for multi-stalked palm trees to die if they are harvested irresponsibly, so these types of hearts of palm are not always more sustainable by default. These palms can regenerate within two to three years, so it’s still vital to harvest them responsibly to ensure they can replenish themselves.Ĭoconut palm, sabal palm, and juçara have one stalk, so harvesting hearts of palm kills the tree. This means hearts of palm can be sourced without killing the tree if there are stalks left to allow new growth. Hearts of palm usually come from peach palm, coconut palm, acai palm, juçara palm or sabal palm (also known as sabal palmetto or cabbage palm).įor example, peach palms and acai palms have several stalks. The environmental impact can vary depending on the tree they were sourced from. You might think that these are sustainable since trees are renewable. Hearts of palm – not to be confused with palm oil – are vegetables sourced from the core and buds of some species of palm trees. How Do Hearts of Palm Affect the Environment?
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