Can planting trees save our Planet? There are about 3 trillion trees, with plans to plant 1 trillion more, where there were none before (“afforestation”) and where they used to be (“reforestation”)!
PLANTING TREES CAN HELP SAVE OUR PLANET
🛟 Why? Trees are intrinsically valuable and play critical economic, social, and environmental role.
👣 ECONOMIC & SOCIAL ROLE: provide jobs and money; used for food, shelter, and medicine; support human health; and have spiritual/cultural meaning.
🌏 ENVIRONMENTAL ROLE: 🌡️ Climate regulation: capture/store greenhouse gases like CO2; release oxygen; and provide shade. 🐾 Biodiversity: provide habitat and food for other plant and animal species. 💨 Pollution control: absorb pollutants. 💧Soil/water health: add organic matter; reduce soil compaction; prevent soil erosion/nutrient loss; protect against natural disasters; help regulate water cycle; and store/filter fresh drinking water.
BUT PLANTING TREES CAN HURT OUR PLANET
😕 Unfeasible: might not be enough land for 1 trillion trees; trees compete with other land uses; logistically challenging; expensive to plant and maintain; and low success rate.
🐾 Biodiversity reduced when done badly: leads to monoculture; speeds extinctions; disrupts natural succession; makes ecosystems less resilient; and non-native trees are invasive, harming native species/ecosystems.
🌡️Climate benefits differ: scientifically uncertain what tree species (73,300+) to plant and how to plant them to most effectively store C02.
So… focus must be “right tree, at right place and right time, for right reason” and shift from “tree planting” to “tree growing”!
& PLANTING TREES IS NOT ENOUGH!
🚄 Planting trees is not a “silver bullet” solution. Need other action, both collective – like reducing C02 emissions, protecting existing trees/forests, and rewilding – and individual action – like adopting a 3P sustainable lifestyle.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
💰 Support trusted nonprofits that *protect existing forests* in partnership with local communities and Indigenous peoples, like our official partner Rainforest Trust.
PLANTING TREES CAN HELP SAVE OUR PLANET
🛟 Why? Trees are intrinsically valuable and play critical economic, social, and environmental role.
👣 ECONOMIC & SOCIAL ROLE: provide jobs and money; used for food, shelter, and medicine; support human health; and have spiritual/cultural meaning.
🌏 ENVIRONMENTAL ROLE: 🌡️ Climate regulation: capture/store greenhouse gases like CO2; release oxygen; and provide shade. 🐾 Biodiversity: provide habitat and food for other plant and animal species. 💨 Pollution control: absorb pollutants. 💧Soil/water health: add organic matter; reduce soil compaction; prevent soil erosion/nutrient loss; protect against natural disasters; help regulate water cycle; and store/filter fresh drinking water.
BUT PLANTING TREES CAN HURT OUR PLANET
😕 Unfeasible: might not be enough land for 1 trillion trees; trees compete with other land uses; logistically challenging; expensive to plant and maintain; and low success rate.
🐾 Biodiversity reduced when done badly: leads to monoculture; speeds extinctions; disrupts natural succession; makes ecosystems less resilient; and non-native trees are invasive, harming native species/ecosystems.
🌡️Climate benefits differ: scientifically uncertain what tree species (73,300+) to plant and how to plant them to most effectively store C02.
So… focus must be “right tree, at right place and right time, for right reason” and shift from “tree planting” to “tree growing”!
& PLANTING TREES IS NOT ENOUGH!
🚄 Planting trees is not a “silver bullet” solution. Need other action, both collective – like reducing C02 emissions, protecting existing trees/forests, and rewilding – and individual action – like adopting a 3P sustainable lifestyle.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
💰 Support trusted nonprofits that *protect existing forests* in partnership with local communities and Indigenous peoples, like our official partner Rainforest Trust.