Benefits of Tree Planting
Table of Contents
Introduction
Planting trees is important, but often not as impactful as simply preventing deforestation. Even old, dead trees which are known as "snags" are super important as habitat and nesting sites for wildlife. Native old-growth forests store more carbon, more moisture, contain more diverse life, and are more robust against the side effects of climate change than newly planted trees, which have a higher chance of dying before reaching a particularly useful size.
Prioritize conservation over new plantings!
However, if your area has already suffered deforestation, wild fires, disease, blights, droughts or freezes, then planting new native plants will make a positive impact on your local habitat, air quality, water management, and much more!
Benefits of Tree Planting
Better Air Quality
More Oxygen & Less CO2
Earth has slowly been losing oxygen for thousands of years, but since the industrial revolution where we began consuming more oxygen (with fossil-powered machines) as well as removing record numbers of trees and impacting aquatic species that produce oxygen, our oxygen levels have begun to drop even faster. By rebalancing with more trees, healthier oceans, and less fossil fuel use, we can start to decrease the amount of CO2 and restore our oxygen levels.
In addition to astmospheric oxygen loss, our rivers and oceans are also running out of oxygen. These same oceans act as CO2 sinks, which causes elevated acidification rates, and this process is hurting wildlife including corals, fish, and shellfish.
Boost Biodiversity
A 6:36 minute video about how land owners including farmers are helping koala populations to recover before they disappear forever.
Squirrels
Wood Bison
Much rarer than their plain's relatives, these are under threat from deforestation in Canada, which is primarily driven by the toilet paper industry and livestock farming.
Cooling Effect
Fire Recovery
Some plants (including certain trees and vines) burn dangerously well, while other species (including certain shrubs, succulents, and mosses) can actually reduce fires.
Even the animal species living in a forest can deter or increase the risk of fires.
Beneficial Fires
Smaller, cooler fires (generally earlier in the season) can help improve the health of certain ecosystems, increasing soil nutrients, killing off weeds, and allowing certain species to germinate. Prescribed fires can help land owners and parks to prevent more dangerous fires during the hotter months.
Reduces Erosion
Trees and their roots reduce erosion, which can be even worse shortly after a fire. By planting new trees, we can get an early jump on providing both leaf coverage over the soil, and healthy roots stabilizing the soil from within.
Supporting Fire-Repressing Species Populations
Koalas eat enough of the highly-flammable eucalyptus leaves, that the species is believed to help reduce wild fires. Koalas are (if things don't change soon) at risk of going extinct by 2050, so planting replacement trees now, means they may be able to continue protecting their natural habitats long into the future.
Water Cycle
Click the Water Cycle & Ecology button to understand the different ways that trees impact and support our water cycle, including ground water sequestration and rain production.
Flood Management Allies
Beavers like to take down trees and use them to slow river flow. This might be bad for a handful of trees, but the slower water means less flooding down stream.
Maps
International
This Map Shows Where Planting Trees Would Make Climate Change Worse "Though oft touted as a fix for climate change, planting trees could, in some regions, make warming more severe, a new study finds.
Trees draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to keep warming in check. But their dark, green leaves also absorb heat from sunlight. Snow and sand, by virtue of their light color, reflect more sunlight back into space. As such, trees planted in snowy areas or in the desert will absorb more sunlight than their surroundings, which may negate the climate benefits of soaking up carbon dioxide."