Reforestation: A Silver Lining for Combating Climate Change and Restoring Ecosystems

We have inherited this planet's many resources from our ancestors. The onus rests on us to protect the earth's fragile ecosystem so that future generations have a place they can call home. It is ironic that despite being at the top of the food chain, Homo Sapiens are intent on destroying the things that guarantee their survival. However, there is a silver lining. We can remedy the situation by restoring the earth's green cover and taking concrete measures to reduce carbon emissions. In 1976 the scientist Freeman J. Dyson proposed a worldwide emergency Green Plantation program as a temporary response to the rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. In line with a growing number of climate scientists at the time, Dyson envisioned that fast-growing trees could be used as a "carbon bank," holding carbon in reserve until a societal shift from fossil fuels to renewable or nuclear energies was completed. 

Green plantations present a promising strategy to combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide and removing and storing the carbon while releasing oxygen back into the air. They also reduce wind speeds and cool the air as they lose moisture and reflect heat upwards from their leaves. It is estimated that trees can reduce the temperature in a city by up to 7°C.

Moreover, trees provide a habitat for wildlife, from birds and insects to bats and squirrels. Trees help to improve air quality by intercepting and trapping dust and other pollutants from the air. The shade of trees also provides an excellent barrier to harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. 

In addition to physical benefits, trees can positively affect mental health. When surrounded by trees or participating in nature-based activities, we can significantly reduce stress and depression levels.

Trees can bring people together. Trees can also serve as community landmarks, promoting local pride and social cohesion. They can provide areas for recreational activities, such as walking or birdwatching, and offer children a sense of adventure.

As trees are essential to the survival of humans, animals, and the environment, reforestation efforts are crucial. Therefore, as deforestation continues, we must return what we're taking away. Planting more trees will contribute to global reforestation efforts, restoring lost forests, repairing damaged ecosystems, and mitigating climate change.

Impact of Deforestation on the Environment

Removing trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in habitat damage, biodiversity loss, and aridity. Deforestation causes extinction, changes to climatic conditions, desertification, and displacement of populations, as observed by current conditions and in the past through the fossil record. Deforestation also reduces the biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, increasing negative feedback cycles and contributing to global warming. Furthermore, the pressure for food security leads to deforestation for agricultural use, reducing arable land and causing more significant challenges for communities. The regions that undergo deforestation also experience other environmental effects, such as soil erosion and degradation, which turn the area into a wasteland.

Strategies

At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in reforestation grew over its potential to mitigate climate change. Without displacing agriculture and cities, the earth can sustain almost one billion hectares of new forests. This would remove 25% of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce its concentration to levels that existed in the early 20th century. A temperature rise of 1.5 degrees would reduce the area suitable for forests by 20% by the year 2050 because some tropical areas will become too hot. The countries that have the most forest-ready land are Russia, Canada, Brazil, Australia, the United States, and China.

The four effective strategies are:

•   Increase the amount of forested land through reforestation

•   Increase the density of existing forests at a stand and landscape scale

•   Expand the use of forest products that sustainably replace fossil-fuel emissions

•   Reduce carbon emissions caused by deforestation and degradation 

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Jadav "Molai" Payeng is an environmental activist and forestry worker from Majuli, also known as the Forest Man of India. Over several decades, he has planted and tended trees on a sandbar of the river Brahmaputra turning it into a forest reserve. Molai forest is located near Kokilamukh of Jorhat, Assam, India, and encompasses about 1,360 acres / 550 hectares. In 2015, he was honored with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India.

There are active reforestation efforts throughout the country. In 2016, India had more than 50 million trees planted in Uttar Pradesh, and in 2017, more than 66 million trees were planted in Madhya Pradesh. Many plantations are being carried out in the Indian continent, but the survivability rate of 20% is poor for massive plantations. To improve the forest cover and to achieve the national mission of forest cover of 33%, there is a need to improve the methods of the plantation. Rather than mass planting, there is a need to work on performance measurement & tracking of tree growth.

The central government's afforestation scheme, Green India Mission (GIM), could only achieve 2.8 percent of its plantation target, according to the Economic Survey released by the Ministry of Finance on January 29, 2021. The target of the 10-year scheme flagged off in 2015 is to increase forest/tree cover on 5 million hectares (m ha) of forest/non-forest land and improve the quality of forest cover on another 5 m ha area.

However, as of March 2020, plantation under the scheme was undertaken only over 0.14 m ha land.

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In conclusion, we are facing the climate change problem today because we could not and did not realize the value of trees and appreciate them for everything they did yesterday. But it is never too late to make amends. We can make things better by planting more trees and facilitating afforestation. We have done nothing but take from nature for so long. It is high time we give back to the earth, and there is no time like the present to do a good deed and make the earth a clean, green, and beautiful place to live in once again. After all, future generations must inherit the earth in the same condition it was left to us, if not better. We owe it to them to make the world a healthy, happy, and safe place to live in.