A new study has revealed that reforestation efforts aren't as expensive as previously thought, showcasing the multiple benefits to planting more trees.
Published in Nature Climate Change, the study examined the two most common methods of reforestation, tree plantations and "natural regeneration." Tree plantations involve planting and later harvesting trees, keeping some of their carbon in construction materials. "Natural regeneration" is exactly what it sounds like: leaving forests to regrow on their own.
"What we found is that there's not a clear winner between these two," Jonah Busch, lead author of the study, told Conservation International. "There's a time and a place for both types of reforestation, and if you were to only reforest the world with plantations, or if you were to only reforest the world with natural regeneration, you would be losing out on the climate benefit."
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The study tracked data from both methods in almost 140 countries to determine their costs and benefits to help companies and governments figure out the best options for reforestation. It also showed that either process isn't as costly as previously thought, which just might be the biggest incentive of all.
"Our research shows that the cost of reforestation based on hundreds of actual projects is far less than previously estimated, and thus should be a bigger part of the mix of efforts to stem climate change, including national climate pledges," Busch said.
Replanting trees is crucial to maintaining a healthy planet. Forests are under a variety of threats, including logging, livestock grazing, and wildfires. According to the U.S. Forest Service, 80% of reforestation needs in the national forest system are the result of wildfires, which make those areas vulnerable to invasive species.
Restoring trees and forests offers so many benefits, such as maintaining watershed and soil quality, improving air quality, protecting wildlife habitats, and even providing jobs through tourism and forestry work, per the National Forest Foundation.
Several companies have gotten on board with the reforestation efforts, including Mastercard, Tesla, and Microsoft. And new methods are being developed by companies such as Morfo, which has been using drones to drop seeds in hard-to-reach areas in Brazil.
Any effort to regrow and protect forests is a welcome one, ensuring a healthy future for us all.
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