According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

(FAO) 2020 report on “The state of the World’s forests”, the planet has lost 178

million hectares of forest between 1990 and 2020; an area about the size of

Libya. Forest loss is primarily the consequence of agricultural expansion,

unsustainable industrial timber extraction and fires often associated to

infrastructure and logging site development. Trees are composed of about a

quarter carbon dioxide that is causing global warming. When they fall down or

burn, they release about four times their weight in carbon.

Forestry and agriculture account together for 24% of Greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions making deforestation an important contributor to climate change.

At the current rate of destruction, the world’s rainforest could completely

disappear within 100 years. The effects of deforestation are serious but not

irreversible. Resolutions such as managing forest resources or agroforestry are

already being made to tackle deforestation’s environmental impacts. We are

dedicating this article to explain why these efforts are such an important factor

in the fight against climate change.

Rehabilitation and Safeguarding of the World’s Forests

By Clémentine Pons

Natural forests: rich and valuable ecosystems

Natural forest is a multi-layered vegetation unit that is composed of indigenous

trees. The world’s forests are mostly known as the “Earth’s lungs” as they absorb

enormous amounts of carbon dioxide. Thanks to photosynthesis, trees use the sun

and carbon dioxide present in the air as energy sources to produce the food they

need. Overall, natural forests can store up 40 times more carbon than a plantation

that is harvested every decade. Forests are critical for the climate in general as they

maintain rainfalls and shield strong winds. The trees’ foliage keeps the continents

from desertification through rainfall recycling. The study “Rainforest-initiated wet

season onset over the southern Amazon” explains that the process is called

“transpiration”. Plants and trees release water vapor from pores situated below

their leaves which creates clouds just above the canopy. These clouds then drop

rain and warm the atmosphere causing circulation. The circulation is what brings

more moisture from the ocean by shifting wind pattern.

Reforestation: a real cause for hope in the climate fight

The act of reforestation is the process by which an area that has suffered the removal of trees and

vegetation has its native trees restored. Currently, this is understood as being one of the most cost-

effective ways of fighting climate change, as trees are natural carbon “sinks”. For all the above

reasons, reforestation is crucial in order to protect biodiversity, manage water or alleviate poverty

in low-income regions. If half a trillion of trees were planted, we could capture about 205 gigatons

of carbons and decrease atmospheric carbon by about 25%. The International Panel for Climate

Change (IPCC) suggests that boosting the total area of the world’s forests, woodlands and woody

savannahs could store around ¼ of the atmospheric carbon necessary to limit global warming to

1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Currently, global forests and trees absorb around 30% of the

world’s carbon dioxide, but the rate of deforestation is increasing around the globe, with 18 million

acres lost every year. Many degraded lands are good candidate for reforestation and could provide

cleaner water, cleaner air, flood control, and more fertile soils. The Atlas of Forest Landscape

Restoration Opportunities registered every zone on the planet worthy for forest restoration.

Reforestation can either be inexpensive and as simple as abstaining from burning grazing land to

allow forests to regenerate naturally or can require planting trees and long-term care as they grow.

Different methods and techniques are adopted around the world to replenish forests.

Afforestation

A study by Yosef and al. (2018) found that afforestation in arid areas can enhance rainfall and

carbon sequestration potential by boosting evapotranspiration and surface cooling. It is estimated

that the carbon sequestration potential in semi-arid zone can be about 10% of the global carbon

sink of the land biosphere. However, if badly managed, afforestation on a large scale can have

significant environmental impacts. The first issue is regarding the large-amount of land-use change

and the application of nitrogen fertilisers. The production of this fertiliser releases nitrous oxides,

a group a GHG, along with CO2 which participates in global warming. Additionally, new trees take

many years to grow and will not be able to provide the absorption of carbon straight away.

Agroforestry

Agroforestry is a land management approach which involves planting trees in farms in order to give

farmers healthier soil and higher yields. It increases wildlife, boosts livestock welfare, manages

water flow and contributes to climate change mitigation. The benefits of the technique are due to

the symbiotic relationship between the tree and its surrounding. The tree roots are releasing into

the soil the needed carbon. The roots cycle nutrients and prevent the soil from erosion. However,

the trees need to be planted in a certain way: from north to south to minimise shading. Pollen and

nectar species are planted beneath them to attract pollinators vital for farming.

Reforestation and its downside effects

While there is a prominent potential for using reforestation, agroforestry and

afforestation as mitigation tools, several important factors need to be considered.

Forests are complex ecosystems and adapted to the land they grow on. In

contrast, their management is often simple and counterproductive, handled by

economic systems and bureaucrats. Successful forest restoration requires much

greater involvement and care. If badly managed, reforestation can result in

outright environment consequences. From there, two situations must be

considered: deforestation has to stop, and restoration program should primarily

focus on turning degraded lands into natural forests.

Monoculture

Many countries engaged to the

International Bonn Challenge have been

backing monoculture farms and counting

trees that will be logged within years for

wood, product or fuel. On the total planted

trees, only 34% were part of the “natural

forest”. Nations are following three main

approaches to improve the tree cover of the

planet. One of them is converted marginal

agricultural lands into plantations of

valuable trees like Eucalyptusfor paper or

Hevea braziliensis for rubber. This is the

most popular restoration plan and 45% of

commitments involve planting tree

monocultures that are economically

profitable.

The reforestation program “Grain for

Green” also illustrates the lack of

knowledge and anticipation. Launched by

China in 1999 in response to flooding along

the Yangtze River, 99% of all trees planted

ended up being monoculture plantations.

A research led by Princeton University has found that the program has failed to restore biodiversity from native forests’ levels. The researchers highlighted the necessity of planting native trees and mixed forests to provide a better outcome for the biodiversity.

Sadly, such forests are an issue because they fail to provide the same benefit in terms of carbon sequestration and biodiversity than natural forests. The different shapes and sizes of trees composing native forests capture more efficiently sunlight.

Scientists explain that monoculture plantations are not useless, but should be in addition to the 1.35 million square miles of restored natural forests that the Bonn Challenge is aiming, not instead of them. Policies must acknowledge both the type of tree that needs to be planted and how the tree bonds with the larger health of the forest.

Poor Land Management

The 2016 Fort McMurray fire in Canada is

another example of poor forest

management. This fire has displaced more

than 80,000 people and has been described

as the costliest natural disaster in Canadian

history. The wildfires have started in peat

swamps, a wet forest where native trees

scarves of water-dense, flame-retarding

peat moss.

How had a swamp burned with such

severity? The answer lays in a miscalculated

1980 government campaign for forest

growth. As part of an experiment of

converting bogs to timber, the Canadian

government drained large areas of the

Alberta swamps and planted black spruce,

spacing them for maximum growth. The

trees gorged themselves on the

groundwater out of the swamps.

As a result, they grew an unusually wide

canopy that chocked out the peat moss. A

drier moss replaced it and as the land dried

the trees grew into huge stores of fuel.

Furthermore, a study by Chinese ecologists

reviewed the results of one of the 1952

China large-scale tree-planting campaign of

afforestation. The program aiming the

country’s arid regions to fight

desertification has damaged local

ecosystems. Foresters planted huge tracts

of thirsty non-native trees, that had sucked

up the groundwater as they grew, dropping

the water table to dangerous levels. The

afforestation program must be reassessed

with future species selected for drought

tolerance and ability to subsist on little

water.

Solutions at every level

In order to meet global climate commitment, forest-restoration schemes must increase their carbon

sequestration potential. According to Nature, there are four ways to attain it:

Countries should increase the proportion of land that needs to be regenerated to natural forests.

Prioritize natural regeneration in the humid tropics which all support very high biomass forest

compared with drier regions.

Build on existing carbon stocks. Target degraded forests and partly wooded areas for natural

regeneration; focus plantations and agroforestry systems on treeless regions.

Once natural forest is restored, protect it by expanding protected areas; giving title rights to

Indigenous peoples who protect forested land; changing the legal definition of how land may be

used so it cannot be converted to agriculture or encouraging commodities companies to commit

to not clearing restored natural forests.

UN declared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on

Ecosystem Restoration. The goal is to reverse

centuries of damage forests, wetlands and other

ecosystems. The UN calls countries, the

international community, civil society,

businesses, and others for strong commitments

in order to achieve ecosystem restoration. All

ecosystems are concerned, including forests,

grasslands, croplands, wetlands, savannahs,

inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems,

and even urban environments. The resolutions

range from showcase successful government-led

and private initiative to halt ecosystem

degradation to connect initiatives working in the

same landscape or topic to increase efficiency

and impact.

WWF has called for the planting and protection

of 1 trillion trees worldwide by 2050. They

connect funders with forest conservation

ventures and inspire society to protect and

restore forests.

Ecosia

Not-for-profit web browser that uses

advertising revenue to plant trees around the

globe, has reportedly planted 100,000,000

trees. Posts their financial reports each

month.

Eden Projects

International not-for-profit company that

partners with other organisations whose

‘mission is to provide fair wage employment

to impoverished villagers as agents of global

forest restoration. We hire the poorest of the

poor to grow, plant, and guard to maturity

native species forest on a massive scale.

Treeapp

Phone app that asks its users to answer 2/3

questions per day that are sponsored by

environmentally friendly companies, using

this sponsorship to fund tree planting around

the globe.

Trillion tree campaign

Campaign where people/countries can

donate trees contributing towards the

objective of planting one trillion trees.

NGOs Companies