While tree-planting initiatives have gained momentum worldwide as a solution to climate change, this research suggests that location matters enormously. The study comes at a critical time, as various regions, including Alaska, Greenland, and Iceland, have begun implementing or considering large-scale
tree-planting projects in their northern territories.
The problem lies in a phenomenon known as the albedo effect – the ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight back into space. The snow-covered ground in the Arctic reflects about 75% of incoming sunlight, while dark evergreen trees reflect only about 10%. This difference means that replacing open tundra with forests actually traps more heat in the Earth’s system, despite the trees’ ability to
capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
However, the issues don’t stop there. When trees are planted in Arctic regions, they disturb the soil, which in these areas serves as one of Earth’s largest carbon banks. The Arctic’s permanently frozen soils, or permafrost, contain more carbon than all the world’s plant life combined. When this soil is disturbed by tree planting and root growth, it releases stored carbon into the atmosphere, further contributing to global warming.
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