The joy of moss

It was with some astonishment and great relief that I conclude from the 13 June Scotsman that I no longer need to fear the awful task of clearing the moss from my roof (you can hardly see the tiles any more).

According to your article about moss-covered sculptures in Glasgow, an area of some 24 square meters of moss can have the pollutionquashing effect of a whole woodland of some 500 trees. In other words, considering that a hardwood tree in its early years would need something like a minimum of 25 square metres to grow without colliding with its neighbours, this is equivalent to 1.25 hectares (about two and a half acres) of woodland. Blimey!

Going by this Glasgow calculation, if I leave the roof moss intact (a total area of about 130 square metres), and encourage it to grow, I will be living under the equivalent of a stretch of woodland big enough to get lost in and cleaning the air even as I read my Scotsman.

Now my roof moss has me awash with environmental smugness. Happy days!