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PLANTING TREES : EXPLANATION OF A FALSE PRETENSE

PLANTING TREES : EXPLANATION OF A FALSE PRETENSE

You have probably heard someone you know, a company or even a country say that they are doing something for nature by planting trees. However, when we dig deeper, we find that newly planted trees have a high carbon footprint when they leave the nursery, and are then often abandoned or burned a dozen years later, releasing carbon into the atmosphere. The planting of trees is therefore not for sure a factor in reducing CO2 in the atmosphere. It is more than necessary to invest in multifunctional processes, which are as efficient for biodiversity, water purification and quality of life as they are for soil improvement and the increase of their carbon content. This is precisely what the CARBON FOREST+ PROGRAMME is all about.

As proof of this, on November 11, 2019, Turkey planted more than 11 million fir trees as part of a “national reforestation”, against the warnings of experts. What’s the balance sheet? by January 2020, nearly 90% of the trees planted would already be dead. In the same vein, an article in The Guardian published on 10 March 2020 reports the results of new studies showing that tree plantations in Britain are a sham. In fact, almost half are harvested 15 years after planting, and some are burned, releasing carbon into the atmosphere. We now know that planting trees following clear-cutting is not the best of effective solutions and that it often damages the environment. The model we are advocating is a sustainable system, which is based on the natural rhythm of biodiversity.A true paragon of the forest future, continuous cover silviculture has only advantages; listening to nature’s transformation allows biodiversity to develop and not planting trees contributes to the sustainable storage of carbon in the soil, which helps improve the ecosystem. We are at a real turning point in our apprehension of nature and CARBON FOREST + is striving to offer an efficient and concrete alternative to the trend of tree planting.