How we get tree planting wrong | It's Complicated

in recent years large-scale tree plantation programs have exploded in popularity as a way to tackle the climate crisis today we will be planting 20 million trees who's against the trees i mean the tree everyone's for the trees and it's easy to understand why these trees they store masses of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere they give us oxygen we breathe they are really the most amazing ecosystems and there's no disputing that the right trees in the right place is a good thing however this type of large-scale tree planting is becoming a problem because while anyone can plant a tree it doesn't necessarily mean we should this is yati forest it's israel's largest planted woodland it was once hailed as a green triumph holding back the desert storing much needed moisture and reducing co2 but the four million trees are actually having an overall warming effect on the planet this is because of something called the albedo effect which means the ability of a surface to reflect heat based on its color the bright desert surface that was there before reflected more sunlight than the current darker tree canopy that replaced it that's right this forest is making global heating worse what the yatir forest highlights is that choosing the right location is crucial planting in the wrong type of soil near too many grazing animals or in the wrong climate are all factors that will kill off new saplings very quickly the wrong location can also deplete groundwater dry up streams and kill off peatland like this one approved by the uk forestry commission which in addition to destroying the important ecosystem also releases the huge carbon deposits stored within it [Music] choosing the right location isn't the only challenge for large-scale tree plantations most of the time these tree planting programs choose monocultures consisting of only one species monocultures store less carbon are terrible for biodiversity and are also highly susceptible to disease it is ecosystems not just trees that capture and store carbon and diverse ecosystems secure the most carbon most securely another big problem is planting the wrong type of tree in south africa the introduction of non-native varieties of acacia has led to this highly invasive tree taking over vast areas of land including precious heatlands and grasslands the country now spends millions of pounds clearing the trees every year similarly in the uk the non-native sitka spruce has decreased biodiversity by creating barren forest floors due to its dense treetop canopy large-scale tree plantations often target land that communities depend on about 12 farms have been sold recently in mid wales to companies who plan to offset carbon emissions and invest in timber across the world approximately 300 million people work or live on land targeted by large-scale tree plantation programs and perversely there are instances where communities have been incentivized to cut down the old forest because planting new trees pays more for instance farmers in costa rica are given 125 a year for each hectare of plantation they establish but only 39 a year if that land is used to protect natural regeneration there's a strong argument to say that large-scale tree plantations aren't an efficient or effective solution to restore the trillions of trees lost over the centuries nor fixed the climate crisis we actually lose about 10 billion trees every year through wildfires deforestation and other means so protecting the forest we already have would be a better use of our time and resources forests are actually really good at restoring and expanding themselves so we should allow space around established forests for them to naturally expand this is called natural forest regeneration and it's by far the best way to get more trees on the planet one place where planting trees is good is in urban areas trees help reduce noise improve air quality help prevent flooding provide shade and even improve your physical and mental well-being so yes the right trees in the right place are vital but the fact remains that there is no one solution to the climate crisis we have to use all the tools at our disposal to reduce greenhouse gases and slow global heating we're losing forests at a terrifying rate much faster than we can plant or restore them but the forests are growing back and if you want to see where they're growing back i'll put a link in the description to a project that is tracking forest regeneration all over the globe if you want to learn more about this topic my colleagues phoebe weston and patrick greenfield did a great two-part special on the guardians science weekly podcast as part of their age of extinction series as ever please like and subscribe and if you want to support our independent journalism click here to become a guardian contributor

Channel: The Guardian

Views: 531,256

Keywords: albedo, albedo effect, albedo effect explained, carbon, carbon capture, climate change, ecosystem, forest, gdnpfpenvironment, global warming, instagram tree planting, planting, planting trees, rewild, rewilding, tree, tree felling, tree plantation, tree planting, tree planting charity, tree planting explained, tree planting season, tree plants, trees, why tree planting is bad, why tree planting is important, woods, it's complicated, plantation, how we get tree planting wrong, explained, uk

Id: dhvOJrkhh8I

Length: 5min 9sec (309 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 09 2021