User:MccEmma/Afforestation

''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.

''The rate of global 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 0.9 billion ha of new forests worldwide, which is a 25% increase from current conditions. This forested area could store up to 205 gigatonnes of carbon, or 25% of the current carbon pool in the atmosphere. ''

Procedure
The process of afforestation begins with site selection. Several environmental factors of the site must be analyzed, including climate, soil, vegetation, and human activity. These factors will determine the quality of the site, what species of trees should be planted, and what planting method should be used.

After the forest site has been assessed, the area must be prepared for planting. Preparation can involve a variety of mechanical or chemical methods, such as chopping, mounding, bedding, herbicides, and prescribed burning. Once the site is prepared, planting can take place. One method for planting is direct seeding, which involves sowing seeds directly into the forest floor. Another is seedling planting, which is similar to direct seeding except that seedlings already have an established root system. Afforestation by cutting is an option for tree species that can reproduce asexually, where a piece of a tree stem, branch, root, or leaves can be planted onto the forest floor and sprout successfully. ''Sometimes special tools, such as a tree planting bar, are used to make planting of trees easier and faster. ''

Canada
An investigative study in 2002 found that weighed the potential carbon sequestration benefits of afforestation against the economic suitability of land found that Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and southern Ontario were potentially suitable regions for such projects.

In 2003, the government of Canada created a four-year project called the Forest 2020 Plantation Development and Assessment Initiative, which involved planting 6000 ha of fast-growing forests on non-forested lands countrywide. These plantations were used to analyze how afforestation can help to increase carbon sequestration and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also considering the economic and investment attractiveness of afforestation. The results of the initiative showed that although there is not enough available land in Canada to completely offset the country's GHG emissions, afforestation can be useful mitigation technique for meeting GHG emission goals, especially until permanent, more advanced carbon storage technology becomes available.

On December 14, 2020, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O'Regan announced the federal government's investment of $3.16 billion to plant two billion trees over the next 10 years. This plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 12 megatonnes by 2050.

Benefits
''Afforestation helps to slow down global warming by reducing CO 2 in the atmosphere and introducing more O 2. '' Trees are carbon sinks that remove CO2 from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and convert it into biomass.

''Afforestation provides other environmental benefits, including increasing the soil quality and organic carbon levels in the soil, avoiding erosion and desertification. '' The planting of trees in urban areas is also able to reduce air pollution via the trees' absorption and filtration of pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and ozone, in addition to CO2.

Criticism
The use of afforestation as a strategy to conserve forest biomes is seen as a menace to the conservation of natural grassland and savanna biomes, as the ideal would be the reforestation of areas where forest occurs naturally. Afforestation can negatively affect biodiversity through increasing fragmentation and edge effects for the habitat remaining outside the planted area. New forest plantations can introduce generalist predators that would otherwise not be found in open habitat into the covered area, which could detrimentally increase predation rates on the native species of the area.

Questions have also been raised in the science community regarding how global afforestation could affect the surface albedo of Earth. The canopy cover of mature trees could make the surface albedo darker, which causes more heat to be absorbed, potentially raising the temperature of the planet.

In some areas, the potential for afforestation exists, but requires private landowners' willingness to plant trees on their land. The costs of planting can sometimes be undesirable, so significant incentives and/or subsidization are needed to achieve the full availability of land for afforestation.