reforestation pros and consreforestation pros and cons

Combining natural regeneration with thoughtful afforestation and reforestation is an important option for combating climate change. Ranked by proportion of total land area covered in planted forest, China is overtaken by Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland, Japan, Marshall Islands, Cape Verde, and others. In turn, this money cannot be used for other important social development projects anymore. In this case, joining a reforestation project can be a nice activity since you can teach your kids about the importance of our forests and why we have to protect them. From protectingMianus Gorgein 1955 to theCumberland Forest Projectin 2019, The Nature Conservancy has been working with governments, corporations, indigenous peoples, and thousands of partners around the world to protect, restore, and sustainably manage our life-giving forests. The former is planting a crop for harvest, such as timber or pulp for paper production; the latter is planting trees for crop production, such as mangoes, avocados, or cashews, or including trees in agricultural settings. The pros and cons of planting trees to address global warming Yale Climate Connections Species & Ecosystems The pros and cons of planting trees to address global warming A campaign to plant one trillion trees made headlines. To that point, trees provide food and shelter for birds and mammals alike. Ben Brandstein is a writer, proofreader, journalist, and podcast producer. It is a means of livelihood. 17.08.2022 Forestry Selective Logging: Methods, Specifics, And Impacts Selective logging is the most profitable timber-harvesting method, which explains its choice for economic reasons. Scientist Zeke Hausfather, long a regular contributor to Yale Climate Connections, suggested in a series of tweets at the time that the study was misleading on a few counts. If it's a shelterbelt, trees may be planted more closely together. "Evaluation of Carbon Accrual in Afforested Agricultural Soils." And of course, forests can provide habitat for wildlife, especially birds and insects, some of which may be a food source for human beings or contribute to the biodiversity of a place. As forests grow, their trees take in carbon from the air and store it in wood, plant matter, and under the soil. doi:10.1038/s41558-020-00976-62 Ahrends, Q. Afforestation is considered to be one of the most "natural" and technologically simple ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. As this example illustrates, choosing locally appropriate trees and considering water needs, especially in semi-arid areas, is incredibly important for successful afforestation. In turn, people will be willing to work together for this big goal, which in turn will also strengthen the social cohesion since people will spend plenty of time together in the process of afforestation. Global Change Biology, vol. Therefore, our forests may no longer be natural conservation areas, but may turn into garbage dumps sooner or later. We also need to protect existing forests the Amazon, for example. Large scale destruction of treesdeforestationaffects ecosystems, climate, and even increases risk for zoonotic diseases spreading to humans. Each year since 2000, forests are estimated to have removed an average of 2 billion metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere.1 This carbon sink function of forests is slowing climate change by reducing the rate at which CO2, mainly from fossil fuel burning, builds up in the atmosphere. Small; Normal; Large; Huge; Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. 944-959., doi:10.1111/gcb.14875, Pei, Nancai, et al. Estimates of the amount of CO2 removed from the atmosphere for various afforestation projects vary, but a study that looked at large-scale afforestation potential found that it couldremove more than 191 gigatons of carbon by 2100 (current annual emissions of carbon are about 36 gigatons per year). Therefore, there is also a certain level of conflict associated with land use and reforestation projects may not favor certain landowners at all. Humans are rapidly cutting down this land, in a process called deforestation. In more tropical regions, those trees that will grow best in hot and humid conditions are planted. Especially if you live in a big city and have a quite stressful job where you work long hours, you might really enjoy going for a walk in the nearby forest in order to mentally regenerate and get back your mental power for the next exhausting project. Symposium: Tropical Restoration-Reforestation - Pros and Cons Afforestation; Importance, Pros and Cons | Environment Buddy Another upside of afforestation is that it can prevent the desertification of large areas of land. Since trees are natural carbon dioxide storage spaces, they can prevent large amounts of carbon to enter our atmosphere. James Temple, senior editor for energy at MIT Technology Review, summed up the view of many experts in a January 28 piece when he wrote: Its great that trees are having a moment. This website uses cookies to enhance your experience and analyze performance and traffic on our website. Some farmers may also suffer from a decrease in profits due to reforestation activities. But according to The Guardian, Dubai started to become more developed, and the land was bought out. According to Urban Forestry Network, they create an environment for other plants, and grow leaves, buds, and wood used by a variety of species. Nature Climate Change 8, April 2018. doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0131-z5 IPCC, 2019: Summary for Policymakers. Republican lawmakers introduce trillion trees act to combat climate change. For example, by planting trees in parks, we can provide natural shade for visitors who want to rest on a bench and enjoy the nice summer day but do not want to be exposed to the sun too much due to various health reasons. However, by planting trees, we can avoid landslides to a certain extent since the roots of trees are able to stabilize the soil and landslides become much more unlikely. 49, no. Trees are a good thing, but: The climate is changing, and our journalists are here to help you make sense of it. And in many ways it could be all of those. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. To achieve "net-zero emissions," companies will often implement reforestation programs to "offset" the impact they've created through their manufacturing processes. Privacy Statement Trees are not only useful when it comes to forests, they can also be great on hot summer days where they can provide shade. For example, if an afforestation project is planted near active agricultural fields, it's important to plan so that sunlight will be able to reach the crops when the trees are grown. 2, 2018. doi:10.5194/essd-8-605-20164 Lejeune, Q., Davin, E.L., Gudmundsson, L.et al. But afforestation has many other benefits, which is why communities and governments choose to invest in it. (That record was broken by Ethiopia, when it planted 350 million trees in a single day.). But the nations high population and rapid industrialization pose challenges to sustained reforestation. So maybe we can and should plant a trillion trees around the globe. The complete care has to be taken in the process of afforestation. Since water scarcity will become an even bigger problem in the future due to global warming, it is crucial that we tackle this issue through reforestation or afforestation. Natural regeneration is defined as "the planting of native trees in an attempt to restore an area to what resembles a natural forest," but other forms of afforestation include commercial plantations and agroforestry. Both are quite important to sustain and maintain a sufficient number of trees on our planet in order to assure the preservation of the global ecological balance. Global maps of twenty-first century forest carbon fluxes, Historical deforestation locally increased the intensity of hot days in northern mid-latitudes, Large Chinese land carbon sink estimated from atmospheric carbon dioxide data, Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the worlds largest reforestation programme, Mapping carbon accumulation potential from global natural forest regrowth, Yale Climate Connections: "Loss of tropical forests makes climate change worse", Ask MIT Climate: "Why don't we just plant a lot of trees? For instance, jogging or running in a forest is usually much more fun compared to running right next to a big street where you have to suffer from noise and air pollution from nearby cars. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-netboard-2-0-asloaded{max-width:120px!important;max-height:600px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[120,600],'environmental_conscience_com-netboard-2','ezslot_19',602,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-netboard-2-0');@media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-netboard-2-0_1-asloaded{max-width:120px!important;max-height:600px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[120,600],'environmental_conscience_com-netboard-2','ezslot_20',602,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-netboard-2-0_1');.netboard-2-multi-602{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:600px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. We need higher vehicle-mileage standards and more electric cars. Thus, in some areas, reforestation may also exacerbate the housing crisis, which may lead to a higher level of homelessness in the respective region. 11, 2015, pp. More by Bruce Lieberman. Protecting the forests while we are at it., The New York Times, Feb. 10, 2020, Planting trees wont save the world, The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2020, Republican lawmakers introduce trillion trees act to combat climate change, Reason, Feb. 13, 2020, 1 trillion trees: What would it take, how would it work, and is it even worth it?,Fast Company, Feb. 19, 2020, Panel battles over tree-planting legislation, The Hill, Feb. 26, 2020, A trillion trees not enough to fix climate crisis, critics say, PhysOrg, Feb. 27, 2020, Bruce Lieberman, a long-time journalist, has covered climate change science, policy, and politics for nearly two decades. Whats better than planting a trillion trees? For instance, we use wooden trees, wooden flooring or wooden cupboards quite often in our daily life. Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network, In the United States, The Nature Conservancy is working to protect the most diverse temperate forests on Earth in the, In the American South, we are working to restore 8 million acres of, Science is critical to inform how we can best achieve healthy forests. Carbon capture is usually cited as the primary reason to spend the time and money to commit to afforestation. 6, 2007, pp. Each year since 2000, forests are estimated to have removed an average of 2 billion metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere. "Restore Our Future: Bonn Challenge." These all store varying amounts of carbon, with natural regeneration tending to be more carbon-rich. 'The Land Gap' Report Shows Land Is Lacking to Fulfill Climate Pledges, Types of Forests: Definitions, Examples, and Importance. Friedlingstein, Pierre, et al., "Global Carbon Budget 2020." But nature itself offers a solution. Other causes of deforestation are our high demand for forest products, such as furniture or paper, mining and oil extraction, as well as infrastructure development. In addition, research has shown that forests can improve water quality (primarily through reducing runoff into streams), so cleaner water may be a strong motivation for afforestation in some areas. The, We are also working to prevent the loss of live trees to pests and pathogens, through programs like , In some forests we are combining ecological thinning with a safe reintroduction of fire to. Afforestation - Energy Education Afforestation is the process of introducing trees and tree seedlings to an area that has previously not been forested. "China's Tree-Planting Drive Could Falter in a Warming World." One problem of afforestation is that it can vastly decrease the value of land for the respective owner. The ecosystems of land and sea could recover, not just in pockets but across great tracts of the planet.. Manage Settings Due to large afforestation projects, there will also be less space for housing. Like other initiatives to tackle climate change, planting trees requires some forethought. Advantages of Reforestation & Afforestation, Disadvantages of Afforestation & Reforestation, Top 10 Reforestation Pros & Cons Summary List, mitigate global warming and the horrible adverse effects related to it, Personal Brand vs. Corporate Brand: 24 Key Pros & Cons, 24 Key Pros & Cons Of Investing In (Retro) Video Games, 34 Major Pros & Cons Of Investing In Comic Books, Gold Bars vs. Gold Coins: 23 Precious Pros & Cons, 31 Cool Pros & Cons Of Owning A Classic Car, 24 Key Pros & Cons Of Unemployment Benefits, 32 Key Pros & Cons Of Investing In Trading Cards, 30 Precious Pros & Cons Of Investing In Art, Afforestation can lead to social cohesion. Land-Use and Carbon Cycle Responses to Moderate Climate Change: Implications for Land-Based Mitigation? It creates more usable space for growth. Some locals may even be able to make their own business out of reforestation projects for instance, by planting high numbers of trees, they could produce timber or charcoal and sell it to local stores. Reforestation or afforestation is only the first step in order to sustain and maintain a sufficient number of trees on our planet. 88-95., doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2017.11.007. What is the Difference between Afforestation & Reforestation? Similarly, reforestation can be considered a form of afforestation. The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Afforestation seeks to create forests to increase carbon capture. its atmosphere -Trees mat not have enough carbon since there. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Places that have become agricultural deserts, trashed by giant corporations, could be reforested, drawing carbon dioxide from the air on a vast scale. A campaign to plant one trillion trees made headlines. To help protect these urban forest workhorses, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing partnership with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station and the University of Georgia to engage civic ecologists and conservation professionals in the monitoring and maintenance of mature trees through the, Restore the Amazon? Gibbs, A. Baccini, R.A. Birdsey, S. de Bruin, et al. But its also a limited and unreliable way of addressing climate change.. For one thing, cumulative emissions from land use and burning fossil fuels were closer to 640 GtC, so removing 200 GtC would represent one-third of historic emissions. Hausfather also pointed to the practical and economic challenges of planting trees on every acre of available land. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Policies for reduced deforestation and their impact on - PNAS Thus, afforestation can even lead to a state where the local population might suffer from serious starvation due to a lack of farming space. All Rights Reserved. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Therefore, reforestation may also provide the opportunity for locals to start their own business and therefore to significantly improve their overall living conditions. "Mapping carbon accumulation potential from global natural forest regrowth." Over time, the soil was depleted, so now not much will grow there. The New York Times summarized the study last year. Consequently, people will often be quite motivated to work hard in order to plant as many trees as possible since they realize the important purpose behind it. This change stabilized overall agency budgets, and eliminated the need to chip away at non-fire programs to increase suppression budgets. Population Reference Bureau, 2015. But because the tree species that were planted were ill-suited to a dry climate, this effort has depleted water supplies and degraded soils. As an associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon or other programs. Trees in urban neighborhoods improve air quality and mental health, lower air temperatures, decrease flooding, and provide habitat for wildlife. List of Pros of Deforestation 1. What Are 5 Pros of Reforestation Carbon Offsets Reforestation carbon offsets are cost-effective, reinforce our carbon sinks, preserve biodiversity, promote clean water, and allow us to reduce carbon emissions in ways we wouldn't be able to accomplish individually. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-banner-1-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-banner-1','ezslot_4',144,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-banner-1-0');Therefore, afforestation can also save many lives, especially in areas that suffer from a high risk for landslides. People are getting caught up in the wrong solution, Forrest Fleischman of the University of Minnesota told The Verge in late January. "Planting Trees Must Be Done With Care: It Can Create More Problems Than It Addresses." It is environmental friendly as it reduces the amount of trash. My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues. Identifying and Choosing the Right Carbon Dioxide CO2 - GlobeNewswire And in their ETH Zurich study, they estimated a carbon sequestration rate of 0.22 GtC per million hectares (i.e., for every 2.47 million acres). To help protect these urban forest workhorses, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing partnership with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station and the University of Georgia to engage civic ecologists and conservation professionals in the monitoring and maintenance of mature trees through the Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities Initiative. TNC has been working with fire since 1962, when we conducted our first controlled burn, and our approach has evolved from one that was primarily focused on managing our preserves to one that includes policy and finance, elevating the contributions of tribes and other indigenous peoples, growing skilled and diverse fire management workforces, and helping communities develop ways to live more safely with wildfire in forested areas. As a result, not enough water remains to recharge groundwater or flow into rivers and lakes," explained United Nations University researcher Lulu Zhang. You should realize that our ancestors lived in line with nature for many thousands of years and our genetics evolved according to that. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_7',189,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');@media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0_1-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_8',189,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0_1');.large-mobile-banner-2-multi-189{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}Therefore, our forests provide us with numerous leisure activities and we should take efforts to maintain or even extend those forest areas through afforestation or reforestation. At some point or another, you've probably heard a company or politician pride themselves on planting trees as a giveback initiative to good old Mother Earth. Many people have become aware of how important it is to protect our environment. -It would be useful in a place that has too much CO 2 in -Effects the carbon cycle. In China, for example, an afforestation project was specifically planted to reduce dust storms. Innovative farmers in Burkina Faso had adapted years . Invasive plants should be removed. Cons: @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-box-3-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-box-3','ezslot_1',614,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-box-3-0');Afforestation and reforestation both refer to the planting of trees in order to compensate for the forest losses related to deforestation. Because trees take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, this practice can actually counteract global warming. Afforestation efforts doubled the forest cover in the area over the course of 15 years from 2001-2016. A newspaper reporter for 20 years, Bruce worked for The San Diego Union-Tribune Although recent human population estimates for the year 2050 have been revised downward to about 9 billion people, that means we still must have enough crops grown to feed . To offset that much CO2 pollution, youd have to plant a forest and wait for it to fully mature that is more than twice the size of Texas. Abandoned urban areas, such as land formerly cleared for buildings that no longer stand, can also be good candidates for smaller afforestation projects. Starre Vartan is an environmental and science journalist. In turn, this can lower unemployment rates of the local population and provide them with a higher average income. That's why heavily wooded areas tend to be cooler, according to Trees and Energy Conservation, because trees provide an evaporative effect as well as shade which can lower the air temperatures by several degrees Fahrenheit. Nature, vol. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. According to a 2019 study, India and China lead the planet in greening efforts (although China leads with forests and India's is more croplands). Peerj, vol. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-leader-1-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-leader-1','ezslot_9',149,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-leader-1-0');Only then will it be possible for us to assure a large variety of different animals and plants which we can show to our children. However, in some regions, it will be rather hard to find those people and therefore, reforestation projects may actually fail since those forests will be destroyed by pests sooner or later. Through research and resources such as the, The Nature Conservancy is developing new financial and investment mechanisms to fight climate change and invest in saving the planet's forests. In other places, weed control might be important before planting. Pros and Cons of Deforestation The world is covered by over 10 billions acres of forests, that is over 30% of the entire planet! "Effects Of Afforestation on Water Resource Variations in the Inner Mongolian Plateau." Authors of a 2019 study from the Swiss research university, ETH Zurich, estimated that the planet can support about 2.5 billion more acres of newly planted trees without tearing down cities and doing away with farms. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Global destruction of natural resources has been on the rise for countless years and has suffered a total loss of 80 percent of forest . Natural regeneration, on the other hand, does not involve tree-planting.5 Instead, forest managers help damaged forests regrow by letting trees naturally re-seed, and through techniques like coppicing, in which trees are cut down to stumps so new shoots can grow. Nature 586, October 2020. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2849-97 Hua, F., X. Wang, X. Zheng, B. Fisher, L. Wang, J. Zhu, et al. If you know anything about the climate crisis, you're likely aware that one of the leading contributors to global warming is carbon emissions, which is why we need to transition to cleaner means of energy. "China's fight to halt tree cover loss." This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Afforestation and reforestation have plenty in commonboth have the aim of increasing the number of treesbut there are a few key differences: Afforestation usually involves tree planting in agricultural or other lands that have been abandoned due to poor soil quality or overgrazing. "Historical deforestation locally increased the intensity of hot days in northern mid-latitudes." Recent news coverage of the trillion tree campaign points to several things people should be thinking about before digging and planting. Back in Washington, D.C., President Trump and Republican lawmakers said they too support the international campaign although Arkansas Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman came under fire for proposing a Trillion Trees Act that would pair a commitment to planting trees with a plan to increase logging on public lands. One of the first large-scale plans is the 2011 Bonn Challenge (supported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature), which aims for 350 million hectares (865 million acres) of degraded land to be restored by 2030.