If we want to reap the benefits of urban treescapes, ecologists say it's vital trees are seen as more than just an aesthetic addition to cities. ParisSharing / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 2.0
By Charli Shield
Not too long ago, many people weren't sure if trees had a place in cities. People, cars, houses and buildings made up urban areas — there wasn't much room for nature.
<p>Trees now have a fundamental place in many big cities around the world, says Sonja Dümpelmann, landscape historian at the University of Pennsylvania — though in most of them, they are still vying for space.</p><p>If we want to reap the benefits of urban treescapes, ecologists say it's vital trees are seen as more than just an aesthetic addition to cities. That's especially true now that half the world's population live in cities and a further 2.5 billion are projected to live in them by 2050.</p>
As Cities Evolve, Trees Keep Us Grounded.
<p>Trees are powerhouses when it comes to regulating city microclimates — filtering air pollution, providing shade, absorbing CO2, helping prevent flash flooding, as well as acting as an important antidote to the urban heat island effect that makes cities far hotter than surrounding rural areas.</p><p>"Trees can make a huge difference to a city's temperature," says Tobi Morakinyo, an urban climatologist whose <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212095513000084" target="_blank">research</a> into the cooling effect of trees in Akure, southwest Nigeria, showed using trees to shade buildings could cool them down by up to five degrees Celsius.</p><p>In hot sub Saharan African cities like Akure — where average maximum summer temperatures can reach 38 degrees (100 degrees F) — Morakinyo says trees' cooling effect is an important tool councils can wield against both heat stress and cooling costs.</p><p>Alongside the eco-services urban trees provide, there are also the qualities "that we can't put monetary value on," adds Cris Brack, a forest ecologist from the Australian National University and director of the National Arboretum in Canberra. </p><p>Those are "biodiversity, aesthetics and our visceral, gut-need to experience nature," Brack told DW, referring to the concept of 'biophilia' — the idea that humans have an innate desire to connect with nature. Mounting <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep11610" target="_blank">evidence</a> shows that people who live in places with more trees experience lower levels of stress and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-019-0451-y" target="_blank">mental illness</a>, even when controlling for socio-economic factors.</p>Trees Make Us Feel Good — Do We Return the Favor?
<p>Though our need for trees in cities appears to only be becoming greater, they often battle oppressive urban environments. Street trees are "in a constant struggle" for space in cities, says Brack, where below ground their root systems can be choked by water pipes, roads and underground car parks, and above ground by pollution, power lines and traffic.</p><p>They also face mechanical damage from cars, battering from increasingly extreme weather conditions and regular uprootings to make way for construction sites.</p><p>Perhaps the most damaging modern challenge for city trees, though, says Somidh Saha, urban forest ecologist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, is drought. Following Europe's unprecedented heatwave in 2018, a study co-authored by Saha found 30% of the trees planted in Karlsruhe in southwestern Germany over the previous four years had died — both directly and indirectly because of a lack of water.</p><p>"Without enough water, trees become weak and that makes them vulnerable to disease," Saha told DW. At the same time, declining city populations of birds and arboreal mammals, such as bats, leaves insect populations unchecked, and local trees susceptible to their growing numbers.</p>Seeing the Forest for the Trees
<p>Ambitious greening projects have cropped up in several megacities around the globe in recent years. New York City planted a million trees between 2007 and 2015, London mayor Sadiq Khan hopes to green more than half the capital by 2050 to make the world's first "National Park City," while Paris announced it would build four inner-city urban forests throughout 2020.</p><p>But outside the Global North, in places such as Saha's native India and Morakinyo's native Nigeria, where they cite a lack of resources and political will as big barriers to making urban greenery a priority, trees in cities are much scarcer.</p><p>As climate change brings hotter temperatures and unpredictable downpours, cities are demanding a new kind of resilience from urban trees. For many cities in the world, ecologists say that means planting more exotic species of trees.</p><p>While many people are opposed to the idea of planting non-native species, ecologists Brack and Saha say alternative species are usually better adapted to the artificial environment of a city — especially in the face of increasing heatwaves.</p><p>The three-toothed Maple, native to China, Korea and Japan, is one species that could appear in greater numbers in other parts of the world as temperatures rise. </p><p>There's also an important distinction to be made between "exotic" trees, which just means they aren't local, and "invasive" trees, which are harmful — spreading very quickly and dominating the environment. As for local wildlife, while ongoing studies are being carried out in places like Germany by Saha's team, Brack says in his local Canberra, where almost all tree species in the city are exotic, birds happily eat fruit from non-natives and mammals alike find homes wherever there is an appropriate hollow.</p>Citizens Pitch In
<p>One solution to preserving city trees that's grown in popularity in recent years is citizen involvement in urban tree caretaking. New York City's citizen pruner program allows city dwellers to take classes to become official city tree carers, and Berlin — a place that has typically excluded citizens from looking after urban flora — is now allowing residents to apply for permits to maintain tree pits and has proposed that they water city trees in summer.</p><p>Involving citizens has its pros and cons, Dümpelmann says, and these kinds of programs may or may not be effective depending on the culture of the city – but even watering trees alone "has been shown to be a really relevant maintenance effort."</p><p>While planting trees in urban spaces is an effective and fairly efficient way to adapt to climate change, Dümpelmann stresses that it isn't a holistic solution.</p><p>"It's something we should work on while at the same time addressing the root causes of climate change," she said. </p><p>Beyond using trees as geo-engineering fix, urban ecologists point out that more trees in cities could change perspectives on urban living and give people a greater understanding of how to value nature as part of a sustainable, livable city – not separate from it.</p><p>That means seeing trees as living, growing beings, Brack says – not fixed in time, or immune to the stressors of living in harsh urban environments.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Local women water newly planted saxaul in the desert at Mingqin county on March 27th, 2019 in Wuwei, Gansu Province, China. The trees were planted as part of Ant Forest, a green initiative on the Alipay app. Wang HE / Getty Images
By Harry Kretchmer
Since its launch in 2016, over half a billion people have used Ant Forest to convert lower-carbon activities such as using public transport into real trees.
<p>The game is helping China <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144540/china-and-india-lead-the-way-in-greening" target="_blank">lead the way</a> in re-greening the planet and is serving as a model for <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/tree-planting">tree-planting</a> schemes elsewhere.</p><p>It's the kind of innovation the World Economic Forum is seeking through <a href="https://www.weforum.org/uplink" target="_blank">UpLink</a>, a platform for crowdsourcing sustainable development solutions to challenges including how to plant <a href="https://uplink.weforum.org/uplink/s/uplink-issue/a002o00000vOf09AAC/trillion-trees" target="_blank">a trillion trees.</a></p>
<h3>The Ant Forest Model</h3><p>"Ant Forest taps into the best of human ingenuity and innovation to create a better world," said Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme – which in 2019 gave <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/chinese-initiative-ant-forest-wins-un-champions-earth-award" target="_blank">the project the UN's top environmental award</a>.</p><p>So how does it work?</p><p>To start with, Ant Forest has plenty of potential players, being part of China's Alipay mobile payments app, which is used by more than a billion people.</p><p>Each time a user performs a lower-carbon activity, such as paying a utility bill online or cycling to work, they are rewarded with "green energy points."</p><p>However, rather than immediately spending those points on a real tree, Ant Forest turns its users <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-06-25/the-chinese-gaming-app-that-lets-users-plant-real-trees-video" target="_blank">into game players</a>. The green energy points "grow" into a virtual tree on the user's app. And users can share green energy with friends and see how their virtual forests compare with others.</p><p>For every virtual tree grown, Ant Forest donates – and plants – a real one. And this gamification has had real-world impacts.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUwMzEzNy9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNDgxNTEwMn0.KkxASSTCUOVTTgBQJ5ZYi8ccAvOlPRYHntlcE02um8Q/img.png?width=980" id="93ade" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4cb6504d3b3d13bbbf2f4d1e0900dd3b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
The world is getting greener, with China and India leading the way. NASA / Nature Sustainability
<h3>A Greening China</h3><p>According to a study in Nature Sustainability, NASA satellites have revealed a 5% increase in global green leaf cover since the early 2000s – <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0220-7" target="_blank">with China leading that growth</a>.</p><p>While a third of Chinese greening is due to the expansion of agriculture, <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144540/china-and-india-lead-the-way-in-greening" target="_blank">42% comes from projects to plant forests</a>. According to the UN, Ant Forest has become the country's largest private sector tree-planting scheme – so the game is a big part of China's greening.</p><p>And the locations for planting are ambitious: arid areas of Northern China like parts of Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Shanxi. Many of the 122 million Ant Forest trees have been planted in areas that have become deserts.</p><p>There has been some criticism. In 2019, the journal <em>Nature</em> reported concerns that holding back deserts with trees <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02789-w" target="_blank">could put pressure on water supplies</a>. Scientists in China responded that local conditions are taken into account. <a href="https://medium.com/alipay-and-the-world/alipay-gallery-ant-forest-tree-planting-spring-2019-dc4e0578cc7c" target="_blank">Drought-resistant varieties, such as the "saxaul" shrub,</a> are used by Ant Forest.</p><p>The project is certainly ambitious. In 2019, Alipay's parent company, Ant Financial Group, said the trees covered some 112,000 hectares. And there are sizable spillover benefits, too.</p>
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<h3>Environment and People</h3><p>The young trees maintain and repair eroded <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/soil">soils</a>, as well as reduce global CO2 levels.</p><p>Another major gain from the project has been employment. Ant Financial Group said 400,000 job opportunities have been created through Ant Forest, many for local farmers.</p><p>But if the trees are donated by Ant Financial, why not simply plant the trees and cut out the virtual ones?</p><p>The reason, as the UN puts it, is "<a href="https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum-for-change/planetary-health/alipay-ant-forest" target="_blank">significant behavioural change</a>." Gamification has encouraged millions of people to adopt lower-carbon lifestyles.</p><p>The success of the project has now led to <a href="https://www.gcash.com/gforest" target="_blank">a similar initiative in the Philippines</a>, launched by the mobile payments provider GCash.</p><p>The project is an encouraging step, according to the UN's Andersen.</p><p>"Although the environmental challenges we face are daunting," she said, "we have the technology and the knowledge to overcome them and fundamentally redesign how we interact with the planet."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/china-ant-forest-app-carbon-emissions-trees/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Oregon-based nonprofit Friends of Trees help to plant trees in Portland's low-income neighborhoods. youtu.be
On hot summer days, trees help cool city neighborhoods. And during extreme storms, they help absorb stormwater and reduce flooding.
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<p>But low-income neighborhoods often have fewer trees than other areas, and reversing this inequity requires more than saplings and shovels.</p><p>Haley Miller of the Oregon-based nonprofit <a target="_blank" href="https://friendsoftrees.org/">Friends of Trees</a> says it takes community outreach and engagement.</p><p>For example, her group has been working in Portland's Jade District.</p><p>"There's a high percentage of Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Mandarin spoken in those neighborhoods," Miller says. "So I think folks there have been skeptical of … having someone come to their door and speaking in English and telling them, 'You need trees for these reasons.'"</p>
<p>So as part of an effort to increase the tree canopy in the Jade District, Friends of Trees hosts focus groups and conducts outreach in residents' native languages.</p><p>Then they lead community events during which local residents help plant new trees in their neighborhoods.</p><p>"It brings people in the neighborhood together," Miller says. "It brings some sort of sense of responsibility and excitement for the care of those trees and making sure they continue to thrive well into maturity."</p><p>So those trees can provide environmental and health benefits for decades to come.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/06/low-income-neighborhoods-often-have-fewer-trees-than-wealthier-counterparts/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>
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Ethiopia aims to plant five billion trees as part of the country's larger reforestation initiative spearheaded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. youtu.be
By Kimberly White
Ethiopia has set out to plant 5 billion tree seedlings this year. The planting is part of the country's larger reforestation initiative spearheaded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
<p><br/></p>
<p>Launched in 2019, the Green Legacy initiative aims to combat environmental degradation, build resilience, and transition into a green society.</p><p>The nation has lost nearly <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2014/10/ethiopia-commits-restore-one-sixth-its-land" target="_blank">97 percent</a> of its native forests due to a growing population and an increased need for land for food production. To combat environmental degradation, Ethiopia committed to restoring 15 million hectares of deforested land by 2025. </p><p>Through Green Legacy, the Ethiopian government hopes to plant 20 billion trees over four years. Ethiopia made headlines last year when the nation <a href="https://www.theplanetarypress.com/2019/08/ethiopia-breaks-world-record-plants-more-than-350-million-trees-in-12-hours/" target="_blank">planted nearly 354 million trees</a> in just 12 hours.</p>
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<p>"The green legacy initiative we launched last year resulted in the planting of over 4 billion seedlings nationally. More than 20 million people were mobilized throughout the country," said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. "Of all the trees planted in last year's Green Legacy challenge, 84 percent have survived. Through the implementation of follow up measures, we have been able to maximize the survival rate which is nature's encouragement to forge ahead."</p><p>The Prime Minister has urged all Ethiopians to join this year's planting challenge while also adhering to increased safety precautions, social distancing, and other preventative COVID-19 measures. Ethiopians are encouraged to "plant their print at the individual and family level."</p><p>"The only thing that makes this year different is the pandemic we are confronted with as a global community. Nevertheless, while our resilience will be tested we are committed to meet our set target in planting in a COVID 19 responsive way," added the Prime Minister. </p><p>The 5 billion seedlings are being housed in 38,000 sites across the country. The seedlings will be planted during Ethiopia's rainy season. </p>
<p class=""><em>This story originally appeared in</em> <em><a href="https://www.theplanetarypress.com/" target="_blank">The Planetary Press </a></em><em>and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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The Vertical Forest high-rise complex (Bosco Verticale) in Milan, as viewed from the Porta Nuova Gardens on October 28, 2019. Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty Images
By Alan Simson
The 21st century is the urban century. It has been forecast that urban areas across the world will have expanded by more than 2.5 billion people by 2050.
The scale and speed of urbanization has created significant environmental and health problems for urban dwellers. These problems are often made worse by a lack of contact with the natural world.
With research group the Tree Urbanistas, I have been considering and debating how to solve these problems. By 2119, it is only through re-establishing contact with the natural world, particularly trees, that cities will be able to function, be viable and able to support their populations.
<p><br/></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-simson-767400" target="_blank">Alan Simson</a> is a Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Forestry at Leeds Beckett University.</em></p><p><em>Disclosure statement:</em><strong> </strong><em>Alan Simson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></p><p><em><em style="">This story originally appeared in</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/" target="_blank">The Conversation </a><em>and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.</em></em></p>
Future Cities
<p>The creation of urban forests will make cities worth living in, able to function and support their populations: Treetopias.</p><p>This re-design will include the planting of many more urban trees and other vegetation – and making use of new, more creative methods. Although we didn't fully realize it at the time, the 1986 <a href="https://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/hundertwasser-house-vienna" target="_blank">Hundertwasserhaus</a> in Vienna, a building that incorporated 200 trees in its design, was the start of more creative urban forestry thinking.</p><p>This has been carried on in Stefano Boeri's <a href="https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/vertical-forest/" target="_blank">Bosco Verticale</a> apartments in downtown Milan, which incorporates over 800 trees as part of the building. Similar structures are being developed around the world, such as in <a href="https://www.thenanjinger.com/news/nanjing-news/vertical-forest-nanjing-grows-learning-bosco-verticale/" target="_blank">Nanjing</a> in China and <a href="https://www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net/en/project/wonderwoods/" target="_blank">Utrecht</a> in The Netherlands.</p><p>The urban forest needs to be designed as a first principle, part of the critical infrastructure of the whole city, not just as a cosmetic afterthought. We know for example that in 2015, urban forest in the UK saved the NHS over £1 billion by helping to reduce the impact of <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/trees-plants-grass-save-30000-lives-2015-uk-removing-pollution-509182" target="_blank">air pollutants</a>. In 2119, we may well look back on this present time as the equivalent of the Victorian slum.</p><p>Trees can create places which can greatly improve our health and well-being. Our urban forest can give us the spaces and places to help manage our mental health and improve our physical health. <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/54105" target="_blank">Research has indicated</a> for example that increasing the canopy cover of a neighborhood by 10% and creating safe, walkable places can reduce obesity by as much as 18%.</p>Cities Built on Trees
<p>As rural areas become less productive as a result of climate change, cities – which previously consumed goods and services from a large hinterland – will have to become internally productive. Trees will be at the centre of that, contributing to the city energy balance through cooling, regulating and cleaning our air and water flows, and ensuring that our previously neglected urban soils function healthily.</p><p>Urban forests could also provide timber for building. We have a history of productive woodlands in the UK, yet alternative construction materials and a growth in an urban population with less knowledge of forest management means that the urban forest is rarely viewed as productive. We are now recognizing the potential productivity of the urban forest, as campaigns to stimulate homegrown timber markets and achieve more efficient management efficiencies are <a href="https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9781402083709" target="_blank">proving to be successful</a>.</p><p>Furthermore, economic growth is still deemed to be the prime symbol of the effectiveness of a city, but we need to be equally aware of other invisible values. This will open up new approaches to governance. Governance needs to embrace all forms of value in a balanced way and facilitate a new vision, considering how trees can help create livable cities.</p>New Opportunities
<p>As the urban population rises, we need to get better at understanding the breadth and diversity of the values held about our urban forest. Individual people can hold several distinct values at once, as urban forests may contribute to their wellbeing in different ways.</p><p>The current guardians of our urban forest, mainly local authority tree officers, spend much of their time managing risks rather than maximizing the opportunities of trees. They often receive complaints about trees and tree management, and it can sometimes be difficult to remember that people do care about trees. We need to develop viable partnerships between tree managers, community members and businesses to support trees in our cities.</p><p>Although the canopy cover of cities worldwide is currently falling, this is not the case in Europe, where <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/jrnl/2020/nrs_2020_nowak_002.pdf" target="_blank">it is increasing</a>. Many European countries are acknowledging the fact that we have over-designed our towns and cities to accommodate the car, and now it is time to reclaim the public realm for our people – either pedestrians on foot or on bicycles.</p><p><span></span>Creative developments like the Hundertwasserhaus are not the only answer to creating Treetopia. We are and will continue to plant more street trees, urban groves and informal clusters of trees in our parks and green spaces. Treetopia has begun.</p>From Your Site Articles
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A campaign to plant one trillion trees made headlines. Experts say it's not a panacea. sarayut Thaneerat / Moment / Getty Images
It seems like such a simple, straightforward, empowering idea: plant trees — a lot of trees — all over the world, and watch the planet's temperature fall.
<p>Who doesn't love a tree or two, even far more — the right tree in the right place?</p>
<p>Along with the refreshing shade they provide on hot days, trees of course also store carbon, and they'll suck it right out of our fragile atmosphere as they grow. Who could argue with more trees, more forests — more shade! — in a warming world? Nary a soul, one suspects, whether of conventional "tree hugger" category or rabid climate science detractor.</p><p>Earlier this year, the one-trillion tree campaign was big news at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Salesforce founder Businessman Marc Benioff announced at the meeting that his company will "support and mobilize the conservation and restoration of 100 million trees over the next decade."</p><p>Back in Washington, D.C., <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/climate/trump-trees-climate-change.html" target="_blank">President Trump</a> and <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/482772-house-republicans-propose-carbon-capture-and-sequestration" target="_blank">Republican lawmakers</a> 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 href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/more-95-conservation-groups-oppose-trillion-trees-act-2020-02-25/" target="_blank">a plan</a> to increase logging on public lands. Numerous other Republican representatives are endorsing the trees effort.</p>
Cautions Against Just Randomly Digging and Planting
<p>Over the past few weeks, chatter has picked up that planting trees is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to combating climate change. Trees are a good thing, but:</p><ul><li>We also need to protect existing forests — the Amazon, for example.</li><li>We need to ramp up wind, solar, and geothermal energy.</li><li>We need to burn less fossil fuel.</li><li>We need to eat more of the right foods and less of the wrong ones and, above all else, eat sustainably.</li><li>We need higher vehicle-mileage standards and more electric cars.</li><li>We need to get our act together so we can better adapt to rising seas, more droughts and wildfires, and unpredictable swings in weather.</li></ul><p>Like other initiatives to tackle climate change, planting trees requires some forethought. Recent news coverage of the trillion tree campaign points to several things people should be thinking about before digging and planting.</p><p>Authors of a <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6448/76" target="_blank">2019 study</a> 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. And they say those trees could store about 200 gigatons of carbon (GtC) once they mature. That's equal to one-third of all the carbon that humans have emitted into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide pollution, the authors claimed. The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/05/climate/trees-forests-climate-change.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article" target="_blank">summarized</a> the study last year.</p><p>Scientist Zeke Hausfather, long a regular contributor to Yale Climate Connections, suggested in a <a href="https://twitter.com/hausfath/status/1147190444838674433" target="_blank">series of tweets</a> at the time that the study was misleading on a few counts. 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.</p><p>India is intimately familiar with this challenge. Last summer the country planted hundreds of millions of trees as part of <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/india-plant-trees-220-million_n_5d501f43e4b0fc06ace91e2a" target="_blank">an initiative</a> to keep one-third of its land area covered in trees. But the nation's high population and rapid industrialization pose challenges to sustained reforestation. Only about 60% of the saplings are expected to survive — the rest succumbing to disease and a lack of water.</p><p>A Skeptical Science <a href="https://skepticalscience.com/1-trillion-trees-impact.html" target="_blank">article</a> by Dana Nuccitelli, a regular contributor to Yale Climate Connections and an environmental scientist, cites additional studies that have raised several other key points. Among them:</p><ul><li>Tundra and boreal regions unpopulated by trees play an important global role in reflecting energy from the sun back into space. Planting trees in these regions would darken landscapes at these high latitudes, causing them to absorb energy from the sun rather than reflect it — ultimately contributing to higher global temperatures and offsetting cooling created by planting trees.</li><li>The ETH Zurich researchers mistakenly considered natural savannas, grasslands, and shrublands as places where forests could be restored.</li><li>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). But 0.22 GtC is twice the amount cited by previously published estimates.</li></ul>
Trees Deserve a ‘Moment’ of Fame, but Keep Reality in Mind
<p>So while the right kinds and numbers of tree species in the right places have lots of appeal, big questions remain over exactly what can be accomplished by planting one trillion trees — and whether it may cause more harm than good.</p><p>James Temple, senior editor for energy at MIT Technology Review, summed up the view of many experts in <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615102/tree-planting-is-a-great-idea-that-could-become-a-dangerous-climate-distraction/" target="_blank">a January 28 piece</a> when he wrote:</p><blockquote>It's great that trees are having a moment. Nations absolutely should plant and protect as many as possible. … But it's also a limited and unreliable way of addressing climate change.</blockquote><p>Temple raised a few more important points, some of which have been echoed elsewhere. Among them: trees take time to grow and reach maturity — decades and even centuries for redwoods and other behemoths that can store massive amounts of carbon. If you think you're going to immediately offset your carbon footprint from flying across the country by planting a tree … think again.</p><p>Another point Temple made: You really have to work the numbers to get a true sense of the challenge. For example, he wrote, the U.S. produced 5.8 billion gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2019. To offset that much CO2 pollution, you'd have to plant a forest — and wait for it to fully mature — that is more than twice the size of Texas.</p><p>The one-trillion tree campaign raises still more questions for forest ecologists — one of them having to do with biodiversity. If the campaign results in what are essentially tree plantations lacking biodiversity and genetic variation, often referred to as monoculture, those artificial forests won't get very far.</p><p>"People are getting caught up in the wrong solution," <a href="https://www.forestry.umn.edu/forrest-d-fleischman" target="_blank">Forrest Fleischman</a> of the University of Minnesota told The Verge <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/31/21115862/davos-1-trillion-trees-controversy-world-economic-forum-campaign" target="_blank">in late January</a>. "Instead of that guy from Salesforce saying, 'I'm going to put money into planting a trillion trees,' I'd like him to go and say, 'I'm going to put my money into helping indigenous people in the Amazon defend their lands.' That's going to have a bigger impact."</p><p>A campaign to plant "one trillion trees" sounds ambitious, it sounds daring, and it sounds exciting. And in many ways it could be all of those. But keep in mind that since 2015 and just in the Sierra Nevada — that sliver of mountain habitat that runs along the spine of California — <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-californias-drought-killed-almost-150-million-trees-180972591" target="_blank">nearly 150 million trees have died</a>, victims of drought, disease, and invasion by beetles. Warmer winters have contributed to a population explosion of these destructive insects, and it's a story being played out across the American West where forest fires are growing in frequency and intensity.</p><p>So maybe we can plant a trillion trees around the globe. But if we don't do much else about climate change, will we just be fueling the fire?</p><p>So maybe we can and should plant a trillion trees around the globe. Go for it. But a wide array of experts insist that if we don't also take numerous other actions to address climate change — specifically including major cuts in fossil fuel emissions and in particular carbon dioxide — we may just be fueling the fire.</p><p>In the end, it comes down to more trees <em>and</em> lots of other actions, not to more trees or.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permissions from <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/03/the-pros-and-cons-of-planting-trees-to-address-global-warming/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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'Green Mountain' Is Restoring Lives in India, Reducing Mercury Levels, Replenishing Drinking Water
29 January
Popular
Greening the barren mountain has helped recharge groundwater levels in the villages. Photo by Gurvinder Singh. Mongabay India
Jamini Mohan Mahanty is out for a morning walk every day. At 91, he is hale and hearty. A resident of Jharbagda village in Purulia district, West Bengal, Mahanty thanks the "green mountain" in his village for having added some extra years to his life.
<p>"I could have died long ago but the green mountain has given me a fresh lease of life. It has made the environment clean and pollution free. It really energises my soul to see birds chirping and rabbits hiding in the bushes. I come inside the forest everyday to have a brief rendezvous with nature," he said, while resuming his walk with the help of a stick.<em></em></p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/the-story-of-a-restored-forest-that-restored-lives/">Mongabay India</a>.</em></p>
<p>A few meters away, the mountain stands tall covered with extensive greenery and rich in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" rel="noopener noreferrer">biodiversity</a>. The mountain exemplifies the collective efforts and hardships of the villagers. As they were grappling with depleting <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/groundwater" rel="noopener noreferrer">groundwater</a> levels, harsh summers and trouble accessing firewood for fuel, the villagers realized that their pressing problems could only be solved by nature. Over the years, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" rel="noopener noreferrer">deforestation</a> for firewood had depleted the green cover and the villagers decided to regreen the mountain.</p><p>Over nearly 20 years the community has transformed a barren mountain and its adjoining land, into an evergreen man-made <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/forests" rel="noopener noreferrer">forest</a>.</p><p>Tapas Mahanty, a resident of Jharbagda in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/India" rel="noopener noreferrer">India</a>'s eastern state, recollects the time, two decades ago, when extreme summers and water shortage made life difficult for the then 30,000-odd people residing across 20-21 villages surrounding the mountain. </p><p>"We were facing severe water scarcity woes because of depleting ground water levels. Women had to walk for around a kilometre to arrange <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water" rel="noopener noreferrer">drinking water</a> as men were out for work. There were often skirmishes and fights over sharing of water at the village taps. It disturbed the harmony of the village," she said.</p><p>Apart from water woes, life also became difficult because of strong winds in summers that spread the heat from the barren mountain. "There was no green cover that could have obstructed the flow of hot and humid winds. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/soil" rel="noopener noreferrer">Soil</a> erosion from the mountain during rains dirtied the ponds and also affected the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/farming" rel="noopener noreferrer">farming</a>. It became difficult to live in the villages located close to the mountain and people began to think of migration," she added.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjYzNDA1NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwOTY4Mjg5N30.rNkM1f3LWIXTjQFcA4-ZT-_aMGpLFx0oMpSSo_QkNbo/img.jpg?width=980" id="57879" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="284cd1b1c6b264b9f40dbae18d528f7f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
(L) A view of the barren mountain in 1996 and (R) a restored landscape as seen in 2006. Mongabay India
Long Walk for Firewood
<p>Another major problem that villagers, especially the women faced was the near absence of firewood as there were hardly any trees, "We had to walk for three to four kilometres for firewood and the entire day was lost in the travel. It was also risky and cumbersome for the women to walk for such a long distance carrying the firewood on their heads. Besides, some couldn't afford the money required to buy firewood for fuel," said another villager.</p><p>Villagers realized that turning the mountain green could save them from the torment of inclement weather coupled with water shortage issues. But it was easier said than done as the mountain spread across 376 acres of land and required extensive labour and funds for plantations.</p><p>An NGO involved in nature <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation</a> came to their rescue. The <u><a href="http://www.tsrd.org/" target="_blank">Tagore Society For Rural Development</a></u> (TSRD), a non-profit engaged in rural work, agreed to do the plantation work on the entire stretch while the community was given the responsibility of maintaining and protecting the green cover. </p><p>"A group of villagers contacted us and told about the problems they were facing. We were overwhelmed by their passion to grow a forest. We then decided to do the plantation," said Prahalad Chandra Mahato, 70, senior employee of the NGO.</p><p>Subsequently, in 1999, a village committee involving 60 members of Jharbagda village of Manbazar-1 block was formed for plantation at a community land of around 300 acres.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjYzNDA1Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MzAyMjExM30.eh38KZE12HOoOpaIUc6oBdefb06WM3JE0giF--dLWq4/img.jpg?width=980" id="cb439" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dadebea5768c9346fa9800b45e177704" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Committee members representing the villages for plantation on the barren mountain. Gurvinder Singh / Mongabay India
<p>Another 67 acres of land was added in 2001 when four villages — Kumardih, Birsinghdih, Cheliama, Radhamadhobpur — also joined hands. Committee members went up to 90. Villagers named it Makino Raghunath Mountain in memory of two environment enthusiasts, Saiji Makino, a Japanese professor who taught at Visvabharati University at Bolpur Shantiniketan and was involved in creating awareness about plantation among the locals and Raghunath Mahanty, a well-known local resident.</p><p>Under a Japanese government-supported greening initiative, the plantations began in 1999 and continued till 2002. "During the course of three years, over 3.26 lakh (326,000) trees of 72 varieties including fruits, medical herbs and timber wood were planted in the mountain stretch and the adjoining land. Labourers were employed for plantation but villagers also worked voluntarily as they were passionate and wanted to mitigate the crisis," added Mahato.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjYzNDA1OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTA1MjIyM30.zw1K3u3Qc44T4UD-C3dmwbFXt351xQjt89QHgBKb_VI/img.jpg?width=980" id="fa767" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b018ed6bc7a5f0b8060f330619b21d35" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Villagers can now collect dry leaves for fuel from the forest on the Makino Raghunath Mountain. Earlier, they would have to walk long distances to get firewood. Gurvinder Singh / Mongabay India
The Stretch Turned Green Within a Few Years
<p>Within a span of a few years, the landscape, starting with five villages started changing. "The first visible sign was the easy availability of firewood for fuel. The dried leaves that fell from the trees were collected by us and used as fuel. It not only saved us from the ordeal of walking for several kilometers but also reduced our expenditure on buying wood for fuel. It encouraged us to protect the forest and shoo out anyone trying to destroy it," said Kalyani Mahanty, 40, a homemaker in Jharbagda.</p><p>The forest also led to an increase in the groundwater level and brought down the constant quarrels among villagers, "The groundwater level that had depleted to 40-50 feet (and went down even more in summers) became normal and was available at 15-20 ft. The easy availability of water brought peace to the village," she added.</p><p>The dense green cover also ensured the presence of biodiversity and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/elephants" target="_self">elephants</a> began to traverse the forest that was once barren, "We first noticed the movement of elephants in 2005. There was a sense of jubilation among villagers. There were also constant sighting of snakes and other animals. Birds are now regular here," said Bikash Mahanty, 40, who resides at the neighbouring Radhamodhobpur village.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjYzNjUzNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTI0OTUxOX0.S9eG2GAmbVZI6yhmzwCPauTUEIvlfSCae47Lrt0O2cQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="8554a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f3bc72b3aba749959342680b81c62168" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />The Makino Raghunath Mountain, a once-barren mountain where plantation took place between 1999 and 2002, restoring its greenery. Mongabay India
<p><br></p><p>The dense trees have also brought down the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/mercury" rel="noopener noreferrer">mercury</a> level in villages and have made the air cooler during summers, "It is comparatively cooler due to the presence of trees. We often sit under the shade of trees during summers and even spend our evenings here. The trees have also prevented soil erosion and farming is not getting hampered due to the mud carried by the rainwater from the mountains," he added.</p><p>Villagers have repeatedly turned down the requests to turn the forest into a picnic spot. "The tourism would no doubt help in promoting the place and also open new avenues of employment but it would do more harm by destroying the environment. Tourists will ignore all norms and use of plastic and other items would destroy its natural beauty. We have ignored the repeated plea to turn this into a tourist spot," said Dwija Pada Mahanty, former village head of Manbazar gram panchayat.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c5aa6de16cbc8253b6ae4e1082e1ebe8"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kkVdJR2pLA8?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
Trenches Being Dug to Store Rainwater
<p>The state government in collaboration with TSRD is now digging trenches down the mountain to stop the wastage of rainwater and to make the soil nutritious, "The water in the trenches would make the soil nutritious while the overflowing water would be stored in a nearby pond and used for farming. It would also recharge the groundwater," said Badal Maharana, 43, team leader, <u><a href="https://usharmukti.nregawb.in/" target="_blank">Ushar Mukti</a></u> project, TSRD Purulia Unit.</p><p>He further said that around 1.5 feet deep trenches have been dug up in 50 hectares of land after the start of the work last year.</p><p>"The trenches would certainly help in storing the rainwater and would be used for multiple purposes. We are also trying to make it an animal corridor to facilitate their movement but the presence of habitation near the forest is a hurdle to the plan. The efforts of the villagers stand as a classic example of how environment conservation is vital for the survival of every individual," said Niladri Sarkar, Block Development Officer (BDO), Manbazar-1 block in Purulia district.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjYzNDA2NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTYwNDg5NX0.H_elNTErtxSE5y_j_8ATWT6x72fppFDmnTzGgEQQp9A/img.jpg?width=980" id="2e943" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d8953097e3227af62caf8b1d5aa4fdc0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />The overflowing water from trenches would flow into the nearby pond and would be used for farming. Gurvinder Singh / Mongabay India
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Madacascar Is Planting 60 Million Trees in Ambitious Drive Inspired by Its President
21 January
Popular
Participants at the tree-planting event in Ankazobe district, Madagascar, on Jan. 19. Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy / Mongabay
By Malavika Vyawahare, Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy
Madagascar has embarked on its most ambitious tree-planting drive yet, aiming to plant 60 million trees in the coming months. The island nation celebrates 60 years of independence this year, and the start of the planting campaign on Jan. 19 marked one year since the inauguration of President Andry Rajoelina, who has promised to restore Madagascar's lost forests.
<p>"The government has the challenge of making Madagascar a green island again. I encourage the people to protect the environment and reforest for the benefit of the future generations," Rajoelina told the hundreds of people who attended the launch in Ankazobe district, 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of the capital, Antananarivo. In a span of a few hours, about 1 million trees were planted over 500 hectares (1,235 acres), according to the environment ministry — an area one-and-a-half times the size of New York City's Central Park.</p>
<p>Madagascar, the oldest island in the world and the fourth-largest, spanning 59 million ha (146 million acres), is home to an astounding range of plant and animal life. Between 2001 and 2018, it lost about one-fifth of its tree cover, according to Global Forest Watch, driven primarily by the expansion of shifting agriculture, known locally as <em>tavy</em>. The destruction of Madagascar's forests could sound the death knell for many of its endemic species, found nowhere else on the planet.</p><p>Months of planning and a massive nationwide effort to amass seeds and populate nurseries culminated in the highly publicized launch. It saw participation from NGOs, schools, government ministries, and the army. Rajoelina, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, launched the planting season by tucking a seedling into a pocket of earth. He later lent a hand to children, took selfies with babies, and was even photographed, hoe in hand, hauling dirt. But experts say the real heavy lifting to reclaim forests will come after the saplings are in the ground.</p><p>"Right now, we are at the stage of planting trees, but the big question is: What is next? How to protect those young trees, so we don't plant them in January and then destroy them in July," said Jonah Ratsimbazafy, a prominent Malagasy primatologist who heads the Groupe d'Étude et de Recherche sur les Primates (GERP).</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjU5NjUxNC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjI5MjQ1OH0.JAptvu0A9yBfiKkPfxPhRehlwvNVDitTK-VjaIlzZi8/img.png?width=980" id="4936f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1673a392b0d02fcd027800208a8f421f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Seedlings at the tree-planting site in Ankazobe district, Madagascar, on Jan. 19. Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy / Mongabay
<p>For the planting season that runs until April, the Rajoelina administration wants 60 million seedlings to be planted across 40,000 ha (99,000 acres). <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/11/madagascars-bold-reforestation-goal-lacks-a-coherent-plan-experts-say/" target="_blank">Experts interviewed by Mongabay</a> last November said it would be a formidable undertaking, especially for a country where almost 80 percent of the population does not have access to grid electricity, and felling trees to make charcoal for cooking is a widespread practice. Reconciling the immediate needs of the country's poor and the long-term goal of stemming and then turning the tide of deforestation will be tough, observers say. It remains to be seen whether Rajoelina has the will to see it through, given his <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/madagascars-next-president-to-take-office-bears-suspect-eco-record/" target="_blank">checkered record</a> on the environment.</p><p>Madagascar has hosted tree-planting drives in the past, but the push from the president's office this time around is expected to make a difference. Nirina Rakotonanahary, 30, a participant at the launch, said it was his first time taking part in a tree-planting drive, which he said was popularized by the president. Close to 200,000 seedlings were gathered in nurseries for the launch event and transported to the Ankazobe site on trucks. For the national campaign, an estimated 100 million seeds have been rounded up by regional centers of the environmental ministry and its partners. The seedlings are being distributed free of cost to institutions and associations from government-run nurseries.</p><p>The launch made it clear the government is trying to strike a balance between planting endemic species and agroforestry species, some of which are exotic and invasive. The 50 species that are available at the nurseries include exotic acacia, eucalyptus, fruit trees and various spice trees. Rakotonanahary said he planted fruit trees because if the yield was good, they might be able to export the produce.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjU5NjUxNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTAxMTcwOH0.aorTLeWbhb85gPkYVMK9gUeVOcL3uCVi_IoTB_iY-Fo/img.jpg?width=980" id="44dd2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a8843a0c2fdb73d9271c7b72090dd869" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Seedlings at the tree-planting site in Ankazobe district, Madagascar, on Jan. 19. Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy / Mongabay
<p>To secure the trees, especially those viewed as useful by people, will be an uphill task. "We want to encourage people to plant and not consume the fruits of the trees inside the parks or cut them to make charcoal," said Mamy Rakotoarijaona, director of Madagascar National Parks. Despite being protected areas, national parks in Madagascar have also witnessed significant deforestation; they have now emerged as important sites for the reforestation campaign.</p><p>To extend the drive to remote areas, the government plans to use drones and airplanes. During the launch event, about 5 tons of seeds in the form of seed balls were dropped from an aircraft over 500 ha of land. Each ball of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/soil">soil</a> is packed with 25 seeds. The success rate measured in terms of how many seeds survive and germinate is about 60 percent, according to a government release that cited a pilot project carried out in 2018. The ministry of environment also said the practice would save on the cost of plastic bags that hold seedlings before they are transplanted.</p><p>The immediate concern is to sustain the momentum for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/tree-planting" rel="noopener noreferrer">tree planting</a>, and in the longer term to ensure that gains are not frittered away. The president, in his speech, said that meeting concrete targets and following up with action would be central to the campaign. "This time, the action will be continuous, and there will be a follow-up. The state will recruit guards to monitor and protect the young plants," Alexandre Georget, Madagascar's environment minister, said at the launch.</p><p>In Ankazobe, there is a plan to recruit 50 people to monitor the saplings because the area is at risk from forest fires that could wipe out within days any gains from a planting campaign months in the making. Involving local communities is indispensable not just in planting trees but in monitoring and safeguarding them, according to Ratsimbazafy of GERP. "If the authorities do not have a clear and efficient strategy to fight against deforestation and fires, then Madagascar won't return to forests," he said.</p><p>That's a view echoed by Alliance Voahary Gasy, a coalition of Malagasy environmental NGOs. It expressed support for the large-scale effort but noted that if the government did not take strict action against those breaking environmental rules, including government officials, the campaign would fail to meet its objectives.</p><p>While millions of seeds may sprout forth from the red soils of Madagascar in the coming months, a sense of optimism about the greening campaign has yet to take root. Rakotonanahary, who helped plant fruit trees in Ankazobe, also struck a despondent note. "I'm not sure they will all survive," he said of the newly planted trees. "The problem is that in Madagascar, we make efforts one day, and then we do not continue."</p>
<p><em>Malavika Vyawahare </em><em>is a staff writer for Mongabay.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/madagascar-launches-massive-planting-drive-eyes-60-million-trees/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mongabay</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Owengarriff River along the Kerry Way, Ireland at Killarney National Park. David Madison / The Image Bank / Getty Images Plus
Ireland will plant 440 million trees by 2040 as part of its efforts to combat the climate crisis, The Irish Times reported Saturday.
<p>The government had already promised to plant more trees as part of a climate action plan released in June, which aims to make Ireland carbon neutral by 2050 by investing in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a>, instituting a carbon tax and changing land use, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ireland-440-million-trees_n_5d6c7b42e4b0cdfe057221e1" target="_blank">HuffPost explained</a>. But the plan did not specify an exact number of trees to be planted. Now, a Department of Communications Climate Action and Environment spokeswoman has given The Irish Times an exact figure.</p><p>"The target for new forestation is approximately 22 million trees per year. Over the next 20 years, the target is to plant 440 million," she said.</p>
<div id="f8e2b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8R4PAW1579615069"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1168408411576459264" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We want many more trees in Ireland, as part of our plan on climate action. 440 million is a huge number but it’s ac… https://t.co/blKHlH11ef</div> — Leo Varadkar (@Leo Varadkar)<a href="https://twitter.com/LeoVaradkar/statuses/1168408411576459264">1567405247.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The trees will be 70 percent conifers and 30 percent broad-leaf trees.</p><p>The announcement comes about <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-planting-trees-2639092782.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">two months after a study found</a> that planting more than 500 billion trees was the "most effective" climate change solution available. However, critics of the study warned that reforestation wasn't enough to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gasses, and that it should be one of many strategies employed, HuffPost explained.</p><p>Still, other countries have embraced tree-planting initiatives. Ethiopia <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/ethiopia-plants-record-breaking-trees-2639514648.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">planted a record 350 million trees</a> in a single day in July. Scotland announced this year that it had surpassed its own tree-planting goals, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/459591-ireland-planning-to-plant-440-million-trees-over-the-next-20-years" target="_blank">The Hill reported</a>. It had planted 11,200 hectares (approximately 43 square miles) of trees in 2018, a boost on its 10,000 hectare (approximately 39 square mile) goal. The final tally was more than 22 million trees planted.</p><p>However, England was less successful. Its tree-planting efforts fell more than 70 percent short of government targets this year, according to HuffPost.</p><p>If Ireland's initiative is to succeed, it will need to persuade farmers to plant more trees on their land, something the government acknowledges is currently not popular, The Irish Times reported. The government plans to convince farmers and to hold community meetings across the country to bolster support for reforestation.</p><p>However, Pádraic Fogarty of the <a href="https://iwt.ie/" target="_blank">Irish Wildlife Trust</a> was skeptical of the government's plan.</p><p>"People are not good at planting trees and trees do not like being planted. They prefer to plant themselves," he told <a href="https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/plan-to-plant-a-whopping-22m-trees-more-than-6000-croke-park-pitches-a-year-to-beat-greenhouse-gases-38452822.html" target="_blank">The Irish Independent</a>.</p><p>Fogarty argued that instead of giving out €94 million ($103 million) in forestry grants every year, it would be better for the government to pay landowners to plant nothing, allowing their land to rewild.<br></p><p>"We have a mental block about letting nature do its thing. We see a space recovered by nature and we think it's scrub and wasteland and want to get it back 'under control' whereas if we just left it alone, the forest would come back all by itself," he said.</p>
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Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed plants a tree in Addis Ababa. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office
About 353 million trees were planted in a single day in Ethiopia on Monday, setting a new world record for seedling plantings, as CNN reported.
<p>The record-setting day is part of a wider "green legacy" initiative started by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office. The campaign wants every Ethiopian to plant 40 seedlings during the rainy season, which runs from May to October. In the end, the country will have 4 billion indigenous trees to help mitigate the effects of the global <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate crisis</a>. </p><p>Ethiopia is particularly vulnerable to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather" rel="noopener noreferrer">extreme weather</a> and has suffered from recurrent <a href="drought" rel="noopener noreferrer">droughts</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" rel="noopener noreferrer">deforestation</a>. According the UN figures, Ethiopia's forest coverage dropped from 35 percent a century ago to just 4 percent in the 2000s, as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/29/ethiopia-plants-250m-trees-in-a-day-to-help-tackle-climate-crisis" target="_blank">Guardian</a> reported. </p>
<p>While 80 percent of Ethiopia's population depends on agriculture for their livelihood, extensive farming has increased Ethiopia's vulnerability to land degradation, soil erosion and flooding, according to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/29/africa/ethiopia-plants-350-million-trees-intl-hnk/" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p><p>Bekele Benti, a bus driver in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa who has witnessed the effects of deforestation, participated in the tree plantings. </p><p>"As a bus driver, with frequent trips across the country, I have witnessed the extent of deforestation in different parts of Ethiopia," Benti told <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/27/c_138261343.htm" target="_blank">Xinhua</a>. "It's really frustrating to see forest-covered areas turned to be bare lands within a few years."</p><p>The Green Legacy project "is an ambitious undertaking to become a green society by planting various types of eco-friendly seedling to combat environmental degradation and, a national platform that will be used for various societal green activities," according to the <a href="https://pmo.gov.et/greenlegacy/" target="_blank">prime minister's official website</a>. </p><p>The initial plan for Monday was to plant 200 million trees, which would shatter the record for a single day planting, set in India in 2017 when 1.5 million volunteers planted 66 million trees. To facilitate the planting, many government offices were closed and civil servants were given the day off to take part in the planting, as <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/29/africa/ethiopia-plants-350-million-trees-intl-hnk/" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. </p><p>After the 12-hour period ended, the Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/PMEthiopia/status/1155876552338550795" target="_blank">posted to Twitter</a> that Ethiopia had far exceeded its goal. A total of 353,633,660 tree seedlings had been planted, the country's minster for innovation and technology, Getahun Mekuria, <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGetahun/status/1155875490407886848" target="_blank">tweeted</a>, as <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/29/africa/ethiopia-plants-350-million-trees-intl-hnk/" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. </p><p>Abiy took part in the planting, making appearances that included stops in Addis Ababa, Arba Minch and Wolaita Sodo. More than 400 staff from the United Nations planted trees, along with staff from the African Union, and various foreign embassies in Ethiopia, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49151523" target="_blank">BBC</a>.</p><p>Ethiopian Airlines was one of several corporate entities to join the effort. "Environmental sustainability is one of our corporate philosophies," said the airline, which shared pictures of its executives planting trees near airplanes, according to the <a href="https://africatimes.com/2019/07/29/ethiopia-says-it-has-planted-353-million-trees-in-12-hours/" target="_blank">Africa Times</a>.</p><p>The move to plant so many trees comes in the wake of a recent study that planting 500 billion trees could remove one-fourth of the carbon in the atmosphere, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-planting-trees-2639092782.html" target="_self">EcoWatch</a> reported.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Planting Billions of Trees Is the 'Best Climate Change Solution Available Today,' Study Finds <a href="https://t.co/Qv5u6ZRnEL">https://t.co/Qv5u6ZRnEL</a></p>— Ibrahim Thiaw (@ibrahimthiaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ibrahimthiaw/status/1155363376626905088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Tree lined street, UK. Richard Newstead / Moment / Getty Images
The UK government will fund the planting of more than 130,000 trees in English towns and cities in the next two years as part of its efforts to fight climate change, The Guardian reported Sunday.
<p>The plan, announced Sunday, will allow individuals, local governments, non-governmental organizations and charities to apply for grants from the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. As a challenge fund, the grants will match what the applicants themselves are able to offer for the planting of trees and continued care during their first three years of life.</p>
<p>"Trees are vital in the fight against climate change, which is why we must go further and faster to increase planting rates," Environment Secretary <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/MichaelGove" target="_blank">Michael Gove</a> said in a statement announcing the £10 million fund, as reported by <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/130000-trees-england-towns-cities-combat-climate-change-planted-a8920556.html" target="_blank">The Independent</a>.</p>
<div id="321a3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="M3OHP11579616258"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1130040441766912000" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We’ve announced a new £10 million Urban Tree Challenge Fund grant to plant more than 130,000 trees across England’s… https://t.co/gpjXvSKNKB</div> — Defra UK (@Defra UK)<a href="https://twitter.com/DefraGovUK/statuses/1130040441766912000">1558257611.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The initiative is part of the government's pledge to plant one million trees by 2022, <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/urban-tree-challenge-130-000-trees-to-be-planted-across-england-as-part-of-10m-project-11724026" target="_blank">Sky News reported</a>. But this plan focuses specifically on the benefits of urban trees. They can absorb noise, reduce the risk of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a>, and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/natural-medicine-doctors-prescribing-outdoors-2614316041.html" target="_self">increase mental health and well-being</a>, according to The Guardian.</p><p>"There is an increasing understanding of the role that trees and woodlands play in helping to make our towns and cities better places for people and nature to thrive," England's Community Forests Chair Paul Nolan said, as The Independent reported.</p><p>Applications will be administered by the Forestry Commission, which will assess them based on the social and environmental benefits they will provide. Applications will open this week, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-delivers-new-10m-fund-to-plant-over-130000-urban-trees" target="_blank">government said</a>.</p><p>"I am delighted the Forestry Commission have been asked to deliver the Urban Tree Challenge Fund," Forestry Commission Chair Sir Harry Studholme told Sky. "The fund is an important part of the work that the Forestry Commission is doing to expand England's tree and woodland cover. It allows us to plant more trees much closer to where people live and work, and where the many benefits of trees make the most difference. We look forward to lots of new planting happening this autumn."</p><p>The fund forms part of the UK government's "Year of Green Action," which is in turn part of its 25- year environment plan designed to provide an environmental legacy to future generations. However, the overall plan <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/brexit-environment-risk-2559682645.html" target="_self">has been criticized</a> by some experts for being short on details and less ambitious than current EU law, a concern as the UK prepares to exit Europe.</p>
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leonard_c / E+ / Getty Images
By Tim Radford
For forests, it really does help to be young. British scientists who have identified the vital factor that shows what makes a forest a good carbon sink say young forests use carbon best and absorb it most efficiently.
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences seems on the face of it to settle an old puzzle with an unsurprising answer. New and young forests make the most efficient and effective carbon sinks.
<p>Humans burn <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_blank">fossil fuels</a> and emit vast quantities of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The felling, burning and clearing of natural forest releases ever more carbon.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="aee65" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="71Y1L61576663037"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1100787602649739265" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Fossil Fuels are having a hard time in Turkey.
@350turkiye https://t.co/uxxz5tabvu</div> — 350 dot org (@350 dot org)<a href="https://twitter.com/350/statuses/1100787602649739265">1551283190.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
<p>But green plants absorb CO2 to make tissue and turn the gas into root and branch, leaf and bark, trunk and fruit. So scientists, led by <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/gees/pugh-thomas.aspx" target="_blank">Tom Pugh of the University of Birmingham in England</a>, addressed the question: what kind of forest is best as a carbon sink?<br></p><p>They gathered data about forest age, devised computer models and looked at the estimates of carbon intake between 2001 and 2010 in old, long-established areas of forest. Then they looked at the data from younger stands of timber that had colonized areas once logged, or damaged by forest fire, or farmed and then abandoned.</p><p>They identified an age effect in stands of timber less than 140 years old: big enough to account for 25 percent of forest carbon uptake from the atmosphere.</p><p>And although the great tropical rainforests are regarded as the "lungs" of the planet, and invaluable resources and homes for biodiversity, in fact the most efficient carbon dioxide consumers were forests in the middle and high latitudes: these included areas of land once farmed in the US eastern states, and then left to become part of the <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/" target="_blank">US National Forest</a>, and farmland abandoned during the worldwide economic depression of the 1930s.</p><p>The finding seems reasonable, if only because the carbon appetite that turns a sapling into a full-grown tree would seem to be more demanding than that of mature or very old trees. But <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/the-carbon-budget-doesnt-add-up-2/" target="_blank">nothing about the notorious "carbon budget problem" is simple</a>.</p><p><strong>Uncertain Response</strong></p><p>It is an axiom of global response to climate change that forests should be protected and restored. But <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/forest-carbon-storage-puzzles-scientists/" target="_blank">the nature and the mechanisms of forest carbon uptake can be difficult to establish</a>.</p><p>In theory <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/forests-can-soak-up-a-third-of-carbon-emissions/" target="_blank">forests may absorb around a third of all carbon emissions</a>, but <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/thick-leaves/" target="_blank">the way trees could respond</a> to the extra carbon dioxide available is still not certain.</p><p>As carbon dioxide ratios in the atmosphere increase, the planet warms and climates change: it could be possible for some forests, some of the time, to actually <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/forest-carbon-emissions-are-set-to-grow/" target="_blank">release more carbon than they absorb</a>.</p><p>And while it might seem obvious that young trees would be greedier than old ones, precise measurement of the forest giants <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/woodman-spare-that-tree/" target="_blank">doesn't necessarily tell the same story</a>. Although the importance of forests is not in question, researchers keep making the point that <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/planting-trees-not-slow-global-warming/" target="_blank">forests are not enough</a>.</p><p><strong>Drastic Cuts Needed</strong></p><p>Humans must still find ways to drastically cut fossil fuel use, and greenhouse gas emissions. But as of 2019, <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/human-carbon-emissions-to-rise-in-2019/" target="_blank">there is no sign that this is happening</a>.</p><p>But the latest research confirms the value of some investments. It suggests that the vast reforestation programmes launched in China, and the huge boreal forests of Canada, Russia and Europe, are playing an important role in climate management.</p><p>"It's important to get a clear sense of where and why this carbon uptake is happening, because it helps us make targeted and informed decisions about forest management," Dr Pugh said.</p><p>"The amount of CO2 that can be taken up by forests is a finite amount; ultimately reforestation programmes will only be effective if we simultaneously work to reduce our emissions."</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/young-forests-use-carbon-most-effectively/" target="_blank">Climate News Network</a>.</em></p>
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1.5 Million Volunteers Plant 66 Million Trees in 12 Hours, Breaking Guinness World Record
03 July 2017
Popular
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
The central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh set a new Guinness World Record on Sunday after 1.5 million volunteers planted more than 66 million tree saplings in just 12 hours along the Narmada river.
The effort bested the state of Uttar Pradesh's previous record-breaking feat, when 800,000 participants planted 50 million trees in one day in July 2016.
<p>
<span></span>Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, boasted the achievement: "I am extremely proud to happily share that people of Madhya Pradesh successfully planted 6.63 Crore saplings today." One crore is 10 million.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="e9366" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="XPKP701579615526"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="881554754530295808" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I am extremely proud to happily share that people of Madhya Pradesh successfully planted 6.63 Crore saplings today.… https://t.co/EgemGbxm7h</div> — Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@Shivraj Singh Chouhan)<a href="https://twitter.com/ChouhanShivraj/statuses/881554754530295808">1499014006.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
According to a <a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/india-has-planted-nearly-66-million-trees-in-12-hours/article/496657" target="_blank">press release</a> for the occasion, the aim of the mass-planting event was to raise awareness for the nation's "make India green again" plan. At the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris climate</a> conference, India pledged to increase forest cover to 95 million hectares (235 million acres) by year 2030 and is putting $6.2 billion towards the effort.
</p><p>
"I am greatly indebted to all who are planting trees today," Chouhan also told <a href="http://www.india.com/news/india/shivraj-singh-chouhan-government-aims-to-create-guinness-world-record-by-planting-6-crore-saplings-along-narmada-river-2288059/" target="_blank">India.com</a>. "We will be contributing significantly in saving nature. By participating in a plantation, people are contributing their bit to climate change initiatives and saving the environment."<br>
</p>
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