The 2016 Hunter–Smuggler prescribed burn triggered new growth in aspen and gambel oak, helping to restore ecosystem health by improving wildlife habitat and creating age and species diversity.
Natural Solutions PROTECTING OUR FORESTS TAKES ON A NEW MEANING IN THE ERA OF CLIMATE CHANGE In the quest to prevent warming
Most people know that trees are good at
reforestation require large amounts of
from reaching two degrees Celsius above
taking in carbon, but not all forest solutions are
land not currently managed as forests, and
pre–industrial levels, the emphasis has largely
created equal. Planting trees in areas where
planted forests do not achieve the critical
been on reducing man–made emissions. But
none were before (afforestation) and restoring
biodiversity found in natural, intact forests.
in recent years, natural solutions – Mother
cut down or degraded forests (reforestation)
Nature’s ways of sequestering atmospheric
are bandwagons even the Trump administration
carbon – have gotten increasing attention
has embraced – when he pledged the US to
from scientists and other climate advocates.
the World Economic Forum’s One Trillion Trees
forests pulling the most carbon from the
initiative earlier this year.
atmosphere are old, intact forests, and
Natural solutions to climate change include restoring wetlands and mangroves,
But forests grow very slowly – plant a
The most important thing we can do is to protect the forests that we have. This idea of proforestation – that
that keeping those forests intact offers the
improving soil quality, and a gamut of
tree now and it could be decades before it
most immediate benefit for the climate – is
strategies around forests.
matures – and we need to draw down carbon
supported by scientists broadly and forest
immediately. Other hurdles: Afforestation and
managers locally.
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