Forestation

Forestation is either growing existing forests (proforestation)[1] or establishing forest growth on areas that either had forest or lacked it naturally.[2] In the first case, the process is called reforestation,[3] or reafforestation while the second is called afforestation.[4]

See also: List of countries by forest area

Massive afforestation has been proposed as a method to mitigate climate change, though its effectiveness is limited by the albedo effect.[5]

Afforestation
This section is an excerpt from Afforestation.[edit]
An afforestation project in Rand Wood, Lincolnshire, England

Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees (forestation) in an area where there was no previous tree cover. Many government and non-governmental organizations directly engage in afforestation programs to create forests and increase carbon capture. Afforestation is an increasingly sought-after method to fight climate concerns, as it is known to increase the soil quality and organic carbon levels into the soil, avoiding desertification. Afforestation is mainly done for conservational and commercial purposes.[6]

The rate of net forest loss decreased substantially over the period 1990–2020 due to a reduction in deforestation in some countries, plus increases in forest area in others through afforestation and the natural expansion of forests. A 2019 study of the global potential for tree restoration showed that there is space for at least 9 million km2 of new forests worldwide, which is a 25% increase from current conditions. This forested area could store up to 205 gigatons of carbon or 25% of the atmosphere's current carbon pool by reducing CO2 in the atmosphere and introducing more O2.

Reforestation
This section is an excerpt from Reforestation.[edit]
Tropical tree nursery at Planeta Verde Reforestación S.A.'s plantation in Vichada Department, Colombia
Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation but also after clearcutting.[7]

Proforestation
This section is an excerpt from Proforestation.[edit]

Proforestation is the practice of protecting existing natural forests to foster continuous growth, carbon accumulation, and structural complexity.[8][9] It is recognized as an important forest based strategy for addressing the global crises in climate and biodiversity.[9][10] Forest restoration can be a strategy for climate change mitigation.[11]: 37  Proforestation complements other forest-based solutions like afforestation, reforestation and improved forest management.

Allowing proforestation in some secondary forests will increase their accumulated carbon and biodiversity over time. Strategies for proforestation include rewilding,[12] such as reintroducing apex predators and keystone species as, for example, predators keep the population of herbivores in check (which reduce the biomass of vegetation). Another strategy is establishing wildlife corridors connecting isolated protected areas.[13][14]

References
  1. Moomaw, William R.; Masino, Susan A.; Faison, Edward K. (2019). "Intact Forests in the United States: Proforestation Mitigates Climate Change and Serves the Greatest Good". Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (in Urdu). 2. doi:10.3389/ffgc.2019.00027. ISSN 2624-893X.
  2. Nyland, R.D. Silviculture: Concepts and Applications. 3rd ed. 2016. p. 67. link.
  3. "SAFnet Dictionary | Definition For [reforestation]". Dictionaryofforestry.org. 2008-08-13. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  4. "SAFnet Dictionary | Definition For [afforestation]". Dictionaryofforestry.org. 2008-10-23. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  5. Rohatyn, Shani; Yakir, Dan; Rotenberg, Eyal; Carmel, Yohay (2022-09-23). "Limited climate change mitigation potential through forestation of the vast dryland regions". Science. 377 (6613): 1436–1439. doi:10.1126/science.abm9684. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 36137038.
  6. "Energy Education". energyeducation.ca. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  7. "Reforestation - Definitions from Dictionary.com". dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  8. Moomaw, William R.; Masino, Susan A.; Faison, Edward K. (2019). "Intact Forests in the United States: Proforestation Mitigates Climate Change and Serves the Greatest Good". Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. 2. doi:10.3389/ffgc.2019.00027.
  9. Di Sacco, Alice; Hardwick, Kate A.; Blakesley, David; Brancalion, Pedro H. S.; Breman, Elinor; Cecilio Rebola, Loic; Chomba, Susan; Dixon, Kingsley; Elliott, Stephen; Ruyonga, Godfrey; Shaw, Kirsty; Smith, Paul; Smith, Rhian J.; Antonelli, Alexandre (25 January 2021). "Ten golden rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihood benefits". Global Change Biology. 27 (7): 1328–1348. doi:10.1111/gcb.15498. ISSN 1354-1013. PMID 33494123. S2CID 225324365.
  10. Mackey, Brendan; Kormos, Cyril F.; Keith, Heather; Moomaw, William R.; Houghton, Richard A.; Mittermeier, Russell A.; Hole, David; Hugh, Sonia (1 May 2020). "Understanding the importance of primary tropical forest protection as a mitigation strategy". Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. 25 (5): 763–787. doi:10.1007/s11027-019-09891-4. ISSN 1573-1596. S2CID 212681305.
  11. IPCC (2022) Summary for policy makers in Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA
  12. "Protecting 50% of our Lands and Oceans". One Earth.
  13. "The natural world can help save us from climate catastrophe | George Monbiot". The Guardian. 3 April 2019.
  14. Wilmers, Christopher C.; Schmitz, Oswald J. (October 19, 2016). "Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling". Ecosphere. 7 (10). doi:10.1002/ecs2.1501.
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