Forestation

Forestation is the process of restoring damaged forests or growing forests on currently unforested land. In simple terms, forestation can be defined as the planting of trees over a wide area.

There are three main types of forestation:

• Agroforestry: The intentional incorporation of trees and shrubs into agriculture. The most common approaches to agroforestry are growing crops or pasture for consumption by animals beneath and in between trees.
• Reforestation: The replanting of trees in an area where a forest once stood, but has been affected by man-made disturbances, like agricultural clearing or logging, or natural disasters such as wildfire or droughts.
• Afforestation: The practice of planting trees in an area where there were no forests before to convert that land into forest. Afforestation is often used to combat desertification, reclaim degraded land, and increase biodiversity.

Forests act as the lungs of Earth by drawing down CO₂ and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere via photosynthesis, while simultaneously conferring a multitude of other ecosystem benefits.

Because forests all over the world take up carbon at differing levels, new trees must be planted in order for forestry to be considered carbon removal.

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A key strategy in global efforts to combat climate change, forestation can provide a variety of co-benefits. However, forestation efforts also face certain challenges that are important to consider.

Co-benefits of forestation

Forestation projects can co-benefit areas such as livelihoods, biodiversity, and food systems. The co-benefits of forestation projects include:

• Biodiversity conservation: Forests maintain the ecological balance by providing habitats for countless species of plants, animals, and insects.
• Soil improval and protection: Forestation can improve local soil conditions. Trees also prevent soil erosion by stabilising the soil with their roots, which helps in water retention and reduces the risk of landslides.
• Water cycle regulation: Trees contribute to maintaining the water cycle by absorbing water from the soil and releasing it into the atmosphere, which helps in rainfall patterns.

Economic benefits: Sustainably managed forests can provide resources to local communities, such as timber, job creation in forest management, or enhance livelihoods with forest by-products.

Challenges of forestation

The challenges surrounding forestation projects include:

• Monoculture plantations: Some afforestation projects focus on planting single species of trees (monoculture), which can alter the natural ecosystem and harm biodiversity.
• Land availability: Finding land suitable for forestations can be challenging – especially in areas with competing land use for e.g. agriculture and urbanisation.

These challenges make it important to ensure that forestation projects are planned carefully to contribute towards reaching our climate goals and addressing current challenges such as the biodiversity crisis.

It should also be noted that older trees generally sequester more carbon per year than younger trees. This means that avoiding deforestation is just as important for reducing climate change as planting new forests or replanting degraded ones.

However, by conserving biodiversity, improving and protecting soil health, and providing resources to local communities, forests are an invaluable ally in the fight against climate change, making forestation a key resource on the road towards net zero.