Great news! 

     Trees, those marvelous beings who absorb carbon from the air, who provide habitat for numberless species, who refresh us with their shade and beauty, are doing well in an important way.    

     According to a new United Nations study, the worldwide rate of deforestation has declined for the very first time.  The years 2000-2009 saw a significant drop in deforestation from the previous decade.  Deforestation during the 1990s averaged more than 20 million acres of forested land lost per year, compared to 12.8 million forested acres lost annually since 2000.   

     The reason for this first-ever decline in the deforestation rate, say the authors of the study, is the growth in tree planting programs.  In the United States, China, Brazil, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and in many other countries around the world, tree planting programs have increased forest coverage by millions of acres per year, according to the UN report. 

     A lower deforestation rate, combined with newly planted forests, “have helped bring down the rate of carbon emissions,” said Mette Loyche Wilkie of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

     Despite this excellent news, researchers are concerned that deforestation rates will again start to climb.  Scientists point out that global warming is devastating millions of acres of trees, as warmer temperatures lead to more insects and more damage to trees.  Another concern is that some replanting programs are scheduled to end in the next few years. 

     Yet another worry is agriculture.  UN scientists are studying the impact that clearing millions of acres of forest for crops and livestock has on deforestation.

     I raise another concern.  I have read that some tree planting programs are not well-planned, with biodiversity and the complexity of a healthy forest in mind.  Planting the wrong tree species or too few species of trees may make for a much less healthy forest system than the original forest cover.

     Still, the fact that forest cover on the planet is increasing, rather than decreasing, is ample cause for celebration.–April Moore

 

 

 

 

 

photos by Andy Schmookler

This entry was posted on Monday, April 19th, 2010 at 8:47 am and is filed under Good news for Mother Earth!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.