Forests

Arbor Day: Why trees need to be grown and tracked, not just planted

image of trees in the US

Tree planting alone is not enough to save the planet. Image: Unsplash/Matt Artz

Karen D. Holl
Professor of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
Pedro H. S. Brancalion
Member, Science Panel for the Amazon
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a diagram showing the positive and negative effects of planting trees
Planting trees can have both positive and negative effects, depending on how projects are planned and managed and where they are done. Image: Creative Commons/Vanessa Sontag, modified from Holl and Brancalion 2020
image of a monoculture of exotic eucalyptus trees (background) planted into a native grassland within the Brazilian Cerrado, a global hot spot for conservation priorities
Transforming an open ecosystem into a shaded monoculture plantation harms native plant and animal species and reduces the water supply for local people and aquatic creatures. Image: Creative Commons/Robin Chazdon
image of a forest in southwestern Virginia which was logged in the 1800s and has since regrown naturally
This forest in southwestern Virginia was logged in the 1800s and has since regrown naturally, like most forests in the eastern United States. Image: Creative Commons/Leighton Reid
image of a farmer and representatives from an international NGO and a restoration company. discussing where to plant native trees on a cattle ranch in the Brazilian Amazon.
A farmer and representatives from an international NGO and a restoration company. discuss where to plant native trees on a cattle ranch in the Brazilian Amazon. Image: Creative Commons/Pedro Brancalion
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Related topics:
ForestsNature and BiodiversityClimate ChangeOne Trillion Trees
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