Growing more than nutrition.
In addition its ideal climate, California is our home, too, and we’re committed to taking care of it. An acre of almond trees grows 450 pounds of protein, 260 pounds of fiber and “good” monounsaturated fats, which helps keep almond lovers energized and satisfied.2,3 But did you know it almond orchards grow environmental benefits too?
Almond trees benefit air quality by capturing and storing carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas.3 They also produce oxygen and act as a natural filter, cleaning pollutants from the air, with measurable health benefits. Nationally, on average, an acre of trees is associated with $11 in annual averted health costs.4
What’s more, almond trees also grow coproducts—the hulls, shells and the trees themselves—that help reduce the carbon footprint of almond production. Traditionally used for dairy feed, livestock bedding and electricity generation, almond farmers are spurring innovation for higher-value and more sustainable uses, with promising research in the areas of recycled plastics, fuel, regenerative agriculture and more.
One of these new approaches, a concept pioneered by almond farmers, grinds up whole almond trees at the end of their productive lives and incorporates the wood back into the soil. Known as whole orchard recycling, this practice improves soil health, boost water efficiency, increases yields and helps to address climate change by removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Farms that use whole orchard recycling sequester 2.4 tons of carbon per acre,5 equivalent to living car-free for a year.6
