InventorSpot

Australian farmers in North Queensland have recently invested in 20,000 Brazilian trees not just for the sake of the environment, but also for what the trees can give the farmers in about 15 to 20 years. Fuel!

These tropical Brazilian tree, Copaifera langsdorfii (a.k.a diesel tree), when full-grown can be tapped for natural oil, filtered and used to power vehicles and farm machinery. It is estimated that a single tree can continue to produce fuel for 70 years and one-hectare crop could produce enough fuel for an average-sized family farm. (ABC NEWS)

Despite the tree’s amazing qualities, it is not easy to germinate from seed and requires a lot of water to grow. A farmer must know how to properly grow this tree in order to receive a return on his investment. In addition the oil extracted from the tree must be used within three months of extraction.

Still the investment is long term and can be beneficial generation after generation. Even when the tree all tapped out it can be milled and used to make good quality furniture. For more information on Copaifera langsdorfii visit ABC .

Via Treehugger