View source for Reforestation

{{short description|Method for land and forest regeneration}}
{{About|natural or intentional restocking of former forests and woodlands|the establishment of a forest in an area where there was no forest before|Afforestation|reforestation and afforestation together|Forest management}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
[[File:Reforestation 6 year.JPG|thumb|A forest, six years after reforestation efforts in [[Panama]].]]
[[File:Replanting a burned area on the Idaho Panhandle NF (39730798234).jpg|thumb|Reforestation in progress: Direct-sowing of seed in a burned area (after a [[wildfire]]) in the [[Idaho Panhandle National Forest]], United States.]]
'''Reforestation''' is the practice of restoring previously existing [[forest]]s and [[woodland]]s that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through [[deforestation]], [[clearcutting]] or [[wildfire]]s. Three important purposes of reforestation programs are for [[Forestry|harvesting of wood]], for [[climate change mitigation]], and for [[ecosystem]] and [[habitat]] restoration purposes. One method of reforestation is to establish [[tree plantation]]s, also called plantation forests. They cover about 131 million ha worldwide, which is 3% of the global forest area and 45% of the total area of planted forests.<ref name="GFRA2020" />

Globally, planted forests increased from 4.1% to 7.0% of the total forest area between 1990 and 2015.<ref name="Payn, T. 2015" /> Plantation forests made up 280 million ha ([[hectare]]) in 2015, an increase of about 40 million ha in the previous ten years.<ref name=":8" /> Of the planted forests worldwide, 18% of that area consists of exotic or introduced species while the rest consist of species native to the country where they are planted.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last1=Ennos |first1=Richard |last2=Cottrell |first2=Joan |last3=Hall |first3=Jeanette |last4=O'Brien |first4=David |date=2019 |title=Is the introduction of novel exotic forest tree species a rational response to rapid environmental change? – A British perspective |journal=Forest Ecology and Management |volume=432 |pages=718–728 |doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2018.10.018 |bibcode=2019ForEM.432..718E |issn=0378-1127|hdl=20.500.11820/725af6fe-4ef8-4345-8f06-634eb59414ff |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

There are limitations and challenges with reforestation projects, especially if they are in the form of tree plantations. Firstly, there can be competition with other land uses and displacement risk. Secondly, tree plantations are often [[monoculture]]s which comes with a set of disadvantages, for example [[biodiversity loss]]. Lastly, there is also the problem that [[Carbon sink|stored carbon]] is released at some point.

The effects of reforestation will be farther in the future than those of [[proforestation]] (the conservation of intact forests).<ref name=":9" /> Instead of planting entirely new areas, it might be better to reconnect forested areas and restore the edges of forest. This protects their mature core and makes them more resilient and longer-lasting.<ref name=":11" /> It takes much longer − several decades − for the [[carbon sequestration]] benefits of reforestation to become similar to those from mature trees in [[tropical forest]]s. Therefore, reducing deforestation is usually more beneficial for climate change mitigation than is reforestation.<ref name=":10" />

Many countries carry out reforestation programs. For example, in China, the ''Three Northern Protected Forest Development Program'' – informally known as the "[[Great Green Wall (China)|Great Green Wall]]" – was launched in 1978 and scheduled to last until 2050. It aims to eventually plant nearly 90 million acres of new forest in a 2,800-mile stretch of northern China.<ref name=":12" /> Such programs often blur the boundaries between ''reforestation'' and ''[[afforestation]]'' (the latter being the establishment of a forest in an area where there was no forest before).{{toclimit}}

== Definition ==
Reforestation according to the [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change|IPCC]] means the "conversion to forest of land that has previously contained forests but that has been converted to some other use".<ref>IPCC, 2022: [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_Annex-I.pdf Annex I: Glossary] [van Diemen, R., J.B.R. Matthews, V. Möller, J.S. Fuglestvedt, V. Masson-Delmotte, C.&nbsp;Méndez, A. Reisinger, S. Semenov (eds)]. In IPCC, 2022: [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/ Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] [P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, R. Slade, A. Al Khourdajie, R. van Diemen, D. McCollum, M. Pathak, S. Some, P. Vyas, R. Fradera, M. Belkacemi, A. Hasija, G. Lisboa, S. Luz, J. Malley, (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA. doi: 10.1017/9781009157926.020</ref>{{rp|1812}}

According to [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] terminology, reforestation is defined as the re-establishment of forest through planting and/or deliberate seeding on land classified as forest. 

''[[Afforestation]]'' on the other hand means establishing new forest on lands that were not forest before (for example, abandoned agriculture).<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.fao.org/3/I8661EN/i8661en.pdf |title=Terms and definitions – FRA 2020 |publisher=FAO |year=2018 |location=Rome |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809045851/http://www.fao.org/3/I8661EN/i8661en.pdf |archive-date=2019-08-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is the process of restoring and recreating areas of [[woodland]]s or [[forest]]s that may have existed long ago but were [[deforestation|deforested]] or otherwise removed at some point in the past or lacked it naturally (for example, natural [[grassland]]s).{{Cn|date=November 2024}}

== Purposes ==

=== Harvesting of wood ===
{{see also|Forestry|Forest management|Tree plantation}}
Reforestation is not solely used for recovery of accidentally destroyed forests. In some countries, such as [[Finland]], many forests are ''managed'' by the wood products and [[pulp and paper industry]]. In such arrangements, trees are planted to replace those that have been cut, much like other crops. The Finnish Forest Act from 1996 requires that forest be replanted after [[felling]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.metsakeskus.fi/oikeudet-ja-velvollisuudet |title= Oikeudet ja velvollisuudet |publisher= Metsäkeskus (Forest Center) |language= fi |trans-title= Rights and responsibilities |access-date= 7 July 2020}}</ref> In such circumstances, the industry can cut the trees in a way to allow easier reforestation.{{Cn|date=November 2024}}

Reforestation, if several [[Native plant|indigenous species]] are used, can provide other benefits in addition to financial returns, including [[Soil regeneration|restoration of the soil]], rejuvenation of local flora and fauna, and the capturing and sequestering of 38 [[ton]]s of [[carbon dioxide]] per [[hectare]] per year.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Henkel|first=Marlon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s2HxCQAAQBAJ&q=Reforestation,+of+several+indigenous+species+are+used,+can+provide+other+benefits+in+addition+to+financial+returns,&pg=PA126|title=21st Century Homestead: Sustainable Agriculture III: Agricultural Practices|date=22 February 2015|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-312-93975-2|page=126|language=en}}</ref>

=== Climate change mitigation ===

{{see also|Deforestation and climate change}}There are four primary ways in which reforestation and reducing [[deforestation]] can increase [[carbon sequestration]] and thus help with climate change mitigation. First, by increasing the volume of existing forest. Second, by increasing the carbon density of existing forests at a stand and landscape scale.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=Paul W. |last2=Jump |first2=Alistair S. |date=2023-03-21 |title=Edible fungi crops through mycoforestry, potential for carbon negative food production and mitigation of food and forestry conflicts |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=120 |issue=12 |article-number=e2220079120 |bibcode=2023PNAS..12020079T |doi=10.1073/pnas.2220079120 |doi-access=free |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=10041105 |pmid=36913576}}</ref> Third, by expanding the use of forest products that will sustainably replace fossil-fuel emissions. Fourth, by reducing carbon emissions that are caused from deforestation and degradation.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Canadell JG, Raupach MR |year=2008 |title=Managing Forests for Climate Change |journal=Science |volume=320 |issue=5882 |pages=1456–7 |bibcode=2008Sci...320.1456C |citeseerx=10.1.1.573.5230 |doi=10.1126/science.1155458 |pmid=18556550 |s2cid=35218793}}</ref>
{{excerpt|Carbon sequestration#Forestry|paragraphs=1-4}}

=== Ecosystem restoration ===
[[File:Degraded land ready for forest restoration.jpg|alt=Site for forest restoration after degradation|thumb|Degraded land ready for restoration]]
Plantation forests are intensively managed, composed of one or two species, even-aged, planted with regular spacing, and established mainly for productive purposes. Other planted forests, which comprise 55 percent of all planted forests, are not intensively managed, and they may resemble natural forests at stand maturity. The purposes of other planted forests may include [[ecosystem restoration]] and the protection of soil and water values.<ref name="GFRA2020">{{cite web |title=Global Forest Resource Assessment 2020 |url=http://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/2020/en/ |access-date=20 September 2020 |website=www.fao.org |language=en |archive-date=20 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520105408/http://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/2020/en }}</ref>

== Methods ==

=== Forest plantations ===
Plantation forests cover about 131 million ha, which is 3 percent of the global forest area and 45 percent of the total area of planted forests.<ref name="GFRA2020"/>

Over 90% of the world's forests regenerate organically, and more than half are covered by forest management plans or equivalents.<ref name=":107">{{Cite book |last=Bank |first=European Investment |url=https://www.eib.org/en/publications/20220173-forests-at-the-heart-of-sustainable-development |title=Forests at the heart of sustainable development: Investing in forests to meet biodiversity and climate goals |date=2022-12-08 |publisher=European Investment Bank |isbn=978-92-861-5403-4 |language=EN}}</ref><ref name=":108">{{Cite web |last=Martin |title=Forests, desertification and biodiversity |url=https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/biodiversity/ |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=United Nations Sustainable Development |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Reforestation Praslin 1.jpg|thumb|An image of a reforestation site in Praslin]]
Globally, planted forests increased from 4.1% to 7.0% of the total forest area between 1990 and 2015.<ref name="Payn, T. 2015">{{Cite journal |last1=Payn |first1=Tim |last2=Carnus |first2=Jean-Michel |last3=Freer-Smith |first3=Peter |last4=Kimberley |first4=Mark |last5=Kollert |first5=Walter |last6=Liu |first6=Shirong |last7=Orazio |first7=Christophe |last8=Rodriguez |first8=Luiz |last9=Silva |first9=Luis Neves |last10=Wingfield |first10=Michael J. |date=2015 |title=Changes in planted forests and future global implications |journal=Forest Ecology and Management |volume=352 |pages=57–67 |doi=10.1016/j.foreco.2015.06.021 |issn=0378-1127|doi-access=free |bibcode=2015ForEM.352...57P }}</ref> Plantation forests made up 280 million ha ([[hectare]]) in 2015, an increase of about 40 million ha in the previous ten years.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |title=Global forest resources assessment 2015: how are the world's forests changing? |date=2016 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |isbn=978-92-5-109283-5 |editor-last=FAO |edition= |location=Rome}}</ref> Of the planted forests worldwide, 18% of that planted area consists of exotic or introduced species while the rest consist of species native to the country where they are planted.<ref name=":6" />

{{excerpt|Tree plantation|paragraphs=1-2|file=no}}

==== Using existing trees and roots ====
Planting new trees often leads to up to 90% of seedlings failing. However, even in deforested areas, existing root systems often exist. Growth can be accelerated by [[pruning]] and [[coppicing]] where a few branches of new shoots are cut and often used for charcoal, itself a major driver of deforestation. Since new seeds are not planted, it is cheaper. Additionally, they are much more likely to survive as their root systems already exist and can tap into groundwater during harsher seasons with no rain.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/2H-fKmbompo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200914171901/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H-fKmbompo&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |date=27 May 2019 |title=Africa's underground forest |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H-fKmbompo |access-date=31 July 2020 |publisher=DW News}}{{cbignore}}</ref> While this method has existed for centuries, it is now sometimes referred to as [[farmer-managed natural regeneration]]<ref>{{cite web |date=11 February 2020 |title=In Semi-Arid Africa, Farmers Are Transforming the "Underground Forest" Into Life-Giving Trees |url=https://ensia.com/features/in-semi-arid-africa-farmers-are-transforming-the-underground-forest-into-life-giving-trees/ |access-date=31 July 2020}}</ref> or [[assisted natural regeneration]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-15 |title=What is assisted natural regeneration and where does it work? |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/benefits-assisted-natural-regeneration/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=World Economic Forum |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chazdon |first1=Robin |last2=Calixto |first2=Bruno |last3=Oliveira |first3=Mariana |last4=Messinger |first4=Jared |last5=Alves |first5=Julio |last6=Calmon |first6=Miguel |last7=Anderson |first7=Will |date=March 2022 |title=The Benefits and Power of Assisted Natural Regeneration |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/what-assisted-natural-regeneration-benefits-definition |journal= |language=en}}</ref>

== Financial incentives ==
{{see also|REDD and REDD+}}
{{update section|date=October 2019}}

Policies that promote reforestation for incentives in return have shown promising results of being an effective and motivative concept to re-plant globally on a mass scale.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ruseva |first1=Tatyana B. |last2=Evans |first2=Tom P. |last3=Fischer |first3=Burnell C. |date=2015-05-15 |title=Can incentives make a difference? Assessing the effects of policy tools for encouraging tree-planting on private lands |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479715001632 |journal=Journal of Environmental Management |language=en |volume=155 |pages=162–170 |doi=10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.03.026 |issn=0301-4797 |pmid=25819571|bibcode=2015JEnvM.155..162R |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Some incentives for reforestation can be as simple as a financial compensation. A compensated reduction of deforestation approach has been proposed which would reward developing countries that disrupt any further act of deforestation: Countries that participate and take the option to reduce their emissions from deforestation during a committed period of time would receive financial compensation for the carbon dioxide emissions that they avoided.<ref name="Streck">{{Cite journal |last=Streck |first=C. |author2=S.M. Scholz |year=2006 |title=The role of forests in global climate change: whence we come and where we go |journal=International Affairs |volume=82 |issue=5 |pages=861–879 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-2346.2006.00575.x}}</ref>{{rp|875}} To raise the payments, the host country would issue government bonds or negotiate some kind of loan with a financial institution that would want to take part in the compensation promised to the other country. The funds received by the country could be invested to help find alternatives to the extensive cutdown of forests. This whole process of cutting emissions would be voluntary, but once the country has agreed to lower their emissions they would be obligated to reduce their emissions. However, if a country was not able to meet their obligation, their target would get added to their next commitment period. The authors of these proposals see this as a solely government-to-government agreement; private entities would not participate in the compensation trades.<ref name="Streck" />{{rp|876}}

Another emerging revenue source to fund reforestation projects deals with the sale of carbon sequestration credits, which can be sold to companies and individuals looking to compensate their carbon footprint. This approach allows for private landowners and farmers to gain a revenue from the reforestation of their lands, while simultaneously benefiting from improved soil health and increased productivity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Shabman |first1=Leonard |last2=Zepp |first2=Laura |last3=Wainger |first3=Lisa |last4=King |first4=Dennis |date=2002 |title=Incentives for reforestation of agricultural land: What will a market for carbon sequestration credits contribute? |journal=American Journal of Alternative Agriculture |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=116–124 |doi=10.1079/AJAA200213 |issn=0889-1893 |jstor=44503226}}</ref>

Alongside past financial incentive strategies, reforestation tax benefits have been another way the government has encouraged companies to promote reforestation tactics through the promises of a tax break.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shutterstock |first=Credit |date=2020-02-04 |title=What Are Reforestation Tax Benefits? |url=https://mylandplan.org/content/what-are-reforestation-tax-benefits |access-date=2022-05-14 |website=My Land Plan |language=en |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819204533/https://mylandplan.org/content/what-are-reforestation-tax-benefits }}</ref>

As many landholders seek to earn carbon credits through sequestration, their participation also encourages biodiversity and provides [[ecosystem service]]s for crops and livestock.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Andres |first1=Samantha |date=20 September 2022 |title=Defining Biodiverse Reforestation: Why It Matters for Climate Change Mitigation and Biodiversity |journal=Plants, People, Planet |volume=5 |pages=27–38 |doi=10.1002/ppp3.10329 |s2cid=252418294 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=20.500.11820/fa87acb7-8982-43d9-bf03-ab700dd168d8}}</ref>

== Challenges ==
{{See also|Tree plantations#Problems}}
There is often insufficient integration between the different purposes of reforestation, namely economic utilization, enhancement of biodiversity and carbon sequestration.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Martin |first1=Meredith P. |last2=Woodbury |first2=David J. |last3=Doroski |first3=Danica A. |last4=Nagele |first4=Eliot |last5=Storace |first5=Michael |last6=Cook-Patton |first6=Susan C. |last7=Pasternack |first7=Rachel |last8=Ashton |first8=Mark S. |date=2021-09-01 |title=People plant trees for utility more often than for biodiversity or carbon |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=261 |article-number=109224 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109224 |issn=0006-3207|doi-access=free |bibcode=2021BCons.26109224M }}</ref> This can lead to a range of different challenges.

=== Competition with other land uses and displacement risk ===
Reforestation can compete with other land uses, such as food production, livestock [[grazing]], and living space, for further economic growth.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Pete |last2=Gregory |first2=Peter J. |last3=van Vuuren |first3=Detlef |last4=Obersteiner |first4=Michael |last5=Havlík |first5=Petr |last6=Rounsevell |first6=Mark |last7=Woods |first7=Jeremy |last8=Stehfest |first8=Elke |last9=Bellarby |first9=Jessica |date=2010-09-27 |title=Competition for land |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=365 |issue=1554 |pages=2941–2957 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2010.0127 |pmc=2935113 |pmid=20713395}}</ref><ref name="Cunningham 301–317">{{Cite journal |last1=Cunningham |first1=S. C. |last2=Mac Nally |first2=R. |last3=Baker |first3=P. J. |last4=Cavagnaro |first4=T. R. |last5=Beringer |first5=J. |last6=Thomson |first6=J. R. |last7=Thompson |first7=R. M. |date=2015-07-01 |title=Balancing the environmental benefits of reforestation in agricultural regions |journal=Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics |language=en |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=301–317 |doi=10.1016/j.ppees.2015.06.001 |issn=1433-8319|doi-access=free |bibcode=2015PPEES..17..301C |hdl=2440/95479 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Reforestation can also divert large amounts of water from other activities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Belluscio |first=Ana |date=2009-11-07 |title=Planting trees can shift water flow |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/news.2009.1057 |journal=Nature |language=en |doi=10.1038/news.2009.1057 |issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A map created by the [[World Resources Institute]] in collaboration with the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]] identifies 2 billion hectares for potential forest restoration and is criticized for including 900 million hectares of grasslands.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bond|first1=William J.|last2=Stevens|first2=Nicola|last3=Midgley|first3=Guy F.|last4=Lehmann|first4=Caroline E.R.|date=November 2019|title=The Trouble with Trees: Afforestation Plans for Africa|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0169534719302526|journal=Trends in Ecology & Evolution|language=en|volume=34|issue=11|pages=963–965|doi=10.1016/j.tree.2019.08.003|pmid=31515117|bibcode=2019TEcoE..34..963B |hdl=20.500.11820/ad569ac5-dc12-4420-9517-d8f310ede95e|s2cid=202568025|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Dasgupta|first=Shreya|date=2021-06-01|title=Many Tree-Planting Campaigns Are Based on Flawed Science|url=https://science.thewire.in/environment/many-tree-planting-campaigns-are-based-on-flawed-science/|access-date=2021-06-12|website=The Wire Science|language=en-GB}}</ref> An assessment of the pledges of governments for reforestation found that the sum of global pledges translates to a required land area of 1.2bn hectares, until 2060, which is equal to a tenth of the global land area und thus deemed unrealistic without a significant encroachment on non-forest areas.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Financial Times |date=2023-09-21 |title=The illusion of saving the planet with a trillion trees |url=https://ig.ft.com/one-trillion-trees/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=subs.ft.com |language=en-gb}}</ref> Experts are calling for a better integration of social data, such as the dependence of livelihoods on specific land uses, into restoration efforts.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schultz |first1=Bill |last2=Brockington |first2=Dan |last3=Coleman |first3=Eric A |last4=Djenontin |first4=Ida |last5=Fischer |first5=Harry W |last6=Fleischman |first6=Forrest |last7=Kashwan |first7=Prakash |last8=Marquardt |first8=Kristina |last9=Pfeifer |first9=Marion |last10=Pritchard |first10=Rose |last11=Ramprasad |first11=Vijay |date=2022-11-01 |title=Recognizing the equity implications of restoration priority maps |journal=Environmental Research Letters |volume=17 |issue=11 |page=114019 |doi=10.1088/1748-9326/ac9918 |bibcode=2022ERL....17k4019S |s2cid=253157136 |issn=1748-9326|doi-access=free }}</ref> Possible solutions include the integration of other land uses into forests through [[agroforestry]], such as growing coffee plants under trees, reducing the delineation between forests and other land uses.<ref name=":5" />

A study found that almost 300 million people live on tropical forest restoration opportunity land in the [[Global South]], constituting a large share of low-income countries' populations, and argues for prioritized inclusion of "local communities" in forest restoration projects.<ref>{{cite news |title=Global forest restoration and the importance of empowering local communities |url=https://phys.org/news/2020-08-global-forest-importance-empowering-local.html |access-date=5 September 2020 |work=phys.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=25 August 2020 |title=300 million world over can have their forests restored: study |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/300-million-world-over-can-have-their-forests-restored-study/article32440958.ece |access-date=5 September 2020 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Erbaugh |first1=J. T. |last2=Pradhan |first2=N. |last3=Adams |first3=J. |last4=Oldekop |first4=J. A. |last5=Agrawal |first5=A. |last6=Brockington |first6=D. |last7=Pritchard |first7=R. |last8=Chhatre |first8=A. |date=24 August 2020 |title=Global forest restoration and the importance of prioritizing local communities |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-01282-2 |journal=Nature Ecology & Evolution |language=en |volume=4 |issue=11 |pages=1472–1476 |bibcode=2020NatEE...4.1472E |doi=10.1038/s41559-020-01282-2 |issn=2397-334X |pmid=32839542 |s2cid=221285189 |access-date=5 September 2020|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

There are calls for a more selective approach to identifying reforestation areas, taking into account the possible displacement of customary land uses.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Malkamäki |first1=Arttu |last2=D'Amato |first2=Dalia |last3=Hogarth |first3=Nicholas J. |last4=Kanninen |first4=Markku |last5=Pirard |first5=Romain |last6=Toppinen |first6=Anne |last7=Zhou |first7=Wen |date=July 2019 |title=Corrigendum of "A systematic review of the socio-economic impacts of large-scale tree plantations, worldwide" [Glob. Environ. Change 53 (2018) 90–103] |journal=Global Environmental Change |volume=57 |article-number=101931 |doi=10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101931 |bibcode=2019GEC....5701931M |issn=0959-3780 |s2cid=197773639}}</ref>

=== Biodiversity loss ===
Reforesting sometimes results in extensive canopy creation that prevents growth of diverse vegetation in the shadowed areas and generating soil conditions that hamper other types of vegetation. Trees used in some reforesting efforts (for example, ''[[Eucalyptus globulus]]'') tend to extract large amounts of moisture from the soil, preventing the growth of other plants. The [[European Commission]] found that, in terms of environmental services, it is better to avoid [[deforestation]] than to allow for deforestation to subsequently reforest, as the former leads to irreversible effects in terms of [[biodiversity loss]] and [[soil degradation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Press corner|url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/MEMO_08_632|access-date=28 September 2020|website=European Commission – European Commission|language=en}}</ref>

The effects reforestation has on biodiversity is not limited to just other forms of vegetation, it can affect all forms of living organisms all contained in the present ecosystem.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Aerts |first1=Raf |last2=Honnay |first2=Olivier |date=2011-11-24 |title=Forest restoration, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning |journal=BMC Ecology |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=29 |doi=10.1186/1472-6785-11-29 |issn=1472-6785 |pmc=3234175 |pmid=22115365 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2011BMCE...11...29A }}</ref> Due to the major role trees have on ecosystems it is important to better understand components like the ecosystem, waterways, and species present in areas that are being re-planted.&nbsp;Prior research helps limit the depletion of biodiversity which can hinder medicinal discoveries, and alter gene flow in organisms.<ref name="Cunningham 301–317" />

A debated issue in managed reforestation is whether the succeeding forest will have the same [[biodiversity]] as the original forest. If the forest is replaced with only one species of tree and all other vegetation is prevented from growing back, a [[monoculture]] forest similar to agricultural crops would be the result. However, most reforestation involves the planting of different selections of seedlings taken from the area, often of multiple species.<ref name="kennethmarendefoundation.com">{{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://kennethmarendefoundation.com/index.php/reforestation-problem |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111185724/http://kennethmarendefoundation.com/index.php/reforestation-problem |archive-date=2014-11-11 |access-date=2013-03-27}}</ref><ref name="RTR">{{Citation |author1=Goosem, Stephen P |title=Repairing the rainforest |publication-date=2013 |year=2013 |edition=2 |publisher=Wet Tropics Management Authority; [Tarzali, Queensland] : Biotropica Australia |isbn=978-1-921591-66-2 |author2=Tucker, Nigel I. J. |author3=Wet Tropics Management Authority, (issuing body.)}}</ref>

=== Stored carbon being released ===
There is also the risk that, through a [[wildfire|forest fire]] or [[Forest pathology|insect outbreak]], much of the stored carbon in a reforested area could make its way back to the atmosphere.<ref name="Canadell">{{Cite journal |last=Canadell |first=J.G. |author2=M.R. Raupach |date=2008-06-13 |title=Managing Forests for Climate Change |url=http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/global/pdf/canadell%26raupach2008_managingforests.science.pdf |journal=Science |volume=320 |issue=5882 |pages=1456–1457 |bibcode=2008Sci...320.1456C |citeseerx=10.1.1.573.5230 |doi=10.1126/science.1155458 |pmid=18556550 |s2cid=35218793}}</ref> Furthermore, the probability that legacy carbon will be released from soil is higher in younger boreal forests.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Walker |first1=Xanthe J. |last2=Baltzer |first2=Jennifer L. |last3=Cumming |first3=Steven G. |last4=Day |first4=Nicola J. |last5=Ebert |first5=Christopher |last6=Goetz |first6=Scott |last7=Johnstone |first7=Jill F. |last8=Potter |first8=Stefano |last9=Rogers |first9=Brendan M. |last10=Schuur |first10=Edward A. G. |last11=Turetsky |first11=Merritt R. |last12=Mack |first12=Michelle C. |author-link12=Michelle Cailin Mack|title=Increasing wildfires threaten historic carbon sink of boreal forest soils |journal=Nature |date=August 2019 |volume=572 |issue=7770 |pages=520–523 |doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1474-y |pmid=31435055 |bibcode=2019Natur.572..520W |s2cid=201124728 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1474-y |access-date=28 September 2020 |language=en |issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription }}</ref> An example of this can be seen in the peatlands in Central Africa, which house an abundance of carbon in the mud called peat. Much like the forest fire or insect outbreak which can harm tropical rainforests, money can also be seen an incentive to harm forests and be paid off to protect it.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maclean |first=Ruth |date=2022-02-22 |title=What Do the Protectors of Congo's Peatlands Get in Return? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/21/headway/peatlands-congo-climate-change.html |access-date=2022-05-16 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The global greenhouse gas emissions caused by damage to tropical rainforests may be underestimated by a factor of six.<ref>{{cite news |title=Climate emissions from tropical forest damage 'underestimated by a factor of six' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/climate-emissions-from-tropical-forest-damage-underestimated-by-a-factor-of-six |access-date=28 September 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=31 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

Also the possible harvesting and utilization of wood from reforested areas, limits the permanence of carbon sequestered through reforestation. For example, it was found that nearly half of the pledges under the [[Bonn Challenge]] were areas earmarked for commercial wood use.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lewis |first1=Simon L. |last2=Wheeler |first2=Charlotte E. |last3=Mitchard |first3=Edward T. A. |last4=Koch |first4=Alexander |date=April 2019 |title=Restoring natural forests is the best way to remove atmospheric carbon |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=568 |issue=7750 |pages=25–28 |doi=10.1038/d41586-019-01026-8|pmid=30940972 |bibcode=2019Natur.568...25L |s2cid=91190309 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Additionally the effects of afforestation and reforestation will be farther in the future than those of proforestation (the conservation of intact forests).<ref name=":9">{{cite web |title=Why Keeping Mature Forests Intact Is Key to the Climate Fight |url=https://e360.yale.edu/features/why-keeping-mature-forests-intact-is-key-to-the-climate-fight |website=Yale E360 |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref> It takes much longer − several decades − for the benefits for global warming to manifest to the same [[carbon sequestration]] benefits from mature trees in tropical forests and hence from limiting deforestation.<ref name=":10">{{cite web |title=Would a Large-scale Reforestation Effort Help Counter the Global Warming Impacts of Deforestation? |url=https://blog.ucsusa.org/elliott-negin/would-reforestation-help-counter-deforestation |website=Union of Concerned Scientists |access-date=28 September 2020 |date=1 September 2012}}</ref>

Some researchers note that instead of planting entirely new areas, reconnecting forested areas and restoring the edges of forest, to protect their mature core and make them more resilient and longer-lasting, should be prioritized.<ref name=":11">{{cite web |last1=Mackey |first1=Brendan |last2=Dooley |first2=Kate |title=Want to beat climate change? Protect our natural forests |url=https://theconversation.com/want-to-beat-climate-change-protect-our-natural-forests-121491 |website=The Conversation |date=6 August 2019 |access-date=28 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Implementation challenges ===
There are some implementation challenges:
* Seed shortage: the Seed to Forest Alliance was founded in 2022 in response to a global seed shortage. It will promote the establishment of national seed banks, while focusing on the tropics and biodiversity hotspots.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-21 |title=New Alliance Launched to Tackle Global Seed Shortage and Scale Reforestation |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220915005905/en/New-Alliance-Launched-to-Tackle-Global-Seed-Shortage-and-Scale-Reforestation |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=www.businesswire.com |language=en}}</ref>
* Seedling survival rate: a common challenge for reforestation is the low survival rate of seedlings. Planted trees often do not mature, for example due to difficult climatic conditions or insufficient care after planting.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Banin |first1=Lindsay F. |last2=Raine |first2=Elizabeth H. |last3=Rowland |first3=Lucy M. |last4=Chazdon |first4=Robin L. |last5=Smith |first5=Stuart W. |last6=Rahman |first6=Nur Estya Binte |last7=Butler |first7=Adam |last8=Philipson |first8=Christopher |last9=Applegate |first9=Grahame G. |last10=Axelsson |first10=E. Petter |last11=Budiharta |first11=Sugeng |last12=Chua |first12=Siew Chin |last13=Cutler |first13=Mark E. J. |last14=Elliott |first14=Stephen |last15=Gemita |first15=Elva |date=January 2023 |title=The road to recovery: a synthesis of outcomes from ecosystem restoration in tropical and sub-tropical Asian forests |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |language=en |volume=378 |issue=1867 |article-number=20210090 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2021.0090 |issn=0962-8436 |pmc=9661948 |pmid=36373930}}</ref>

== By country ==
{{See also|Afforestation#Examples|Tree planting#By country}}

=== Asia ===

==== China ====
{{See also|Afforestation#China}}

According to China's government, the forest coverage of the country grew from 10% of the overall territory in 1949 to 25% in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title=China completes 3,000-km green belt around its biggest desert, state media says |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-completes-3-000-km-112549261.html |access-date=8 December 2024 |agency=Yahoo |publisher=Reuters |date=29 November 2024}}</ref>

China has introduced the [[Green Wall of China]] project, which aims to halt the expansion of the [[Gobi Desert|Gobi desert]] through the planting of trees. There has been a 47-million-hectare increase in forest area in China since the 1970s.<ref name="Owen">James Owen, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170907212622/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/061113-forests.html "World's Forests Rebounding, Study Suggests"]. ''National Geographic News'', 13 November 2006.</ref> The total number of trees amounted to be about 35 billion and 4.55% of China's land mass increased in forest coverage. The forest coverage was 12% in the early 1980s and had reached 16.55% by 2001.<ref name="battling">Gittings, John (20 March 2001). [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/mar/20/worlddispatch.china "Battling China's Deforestation".] ''The Guardian''.</ref>

China announced two large reforestation programs, the Natural Forest Protection Program and the Returning Farmland to Forest program, in late 1998.<ref name=":122">{{Cite book |last=Harrell |first=Stevan |title=An Ecological History of Modern China |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-295-75171-9 |location=Seattle}}</ref>{{Rp|page=183}} The programs were piloted in [[Sichuan]], [[Shaanxi]], and [[Gansu]] in 1999.<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} They became widely implemented in 2000.<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} The Natural Forest Protection Program called for major reductions in timber harvest, forest conservation, and instituted logging bans in most of Sichuan, [[Yunnan]], [[Guizhou]], and [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]].<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} The program provided for alternative employment opportunities for former logging industry workers, including hiring them for reforestation work.<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} The Returning Farmland to Forest program paid farmers to plant trees on less productive farmland and provided them with a yearly subsidy for lost income.<ref name=":122" />{{Rp|page=183}} In 2015 China announced a plan to plant 26 billion trees by the year 2025; that is, two trees for every Chinese citizen per year.<ref>{{cite web |title=China to plant 26 billion trees over next decade – People's Daily Online |url=http://en.people.cn/90882/7675458.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103715/http://en.people.cn/90882/7675458.html |archive-date=2015-04-02 |access-date=2015-03-12}}</ref>

Between 2013 and 2018, China planted 338,000 square kilometres of forests, at a cost of $82.88 billion.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Breyer |first1=Melissa |date=January 11, 2018 |title=China is planting 16.3 million acres of forest this year |agency=Treehugger |url=https://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/china-planting-163-million-acres-forest-year.html |access-date=7 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907182908/https://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/china-planting-163-million-acres-forest-year.html |archive-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> By 2018, 21.7% of China's territory was covered by forests, a figure the government wants to increase to 26% by 2035. The total area of China is 9,596,961 square kilometres (see [[China]]), so 412,669 square kilometres more needs to be planted.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chow |first1=Lorraine |title=China to Plant New Forests the Size of Ireland This Year |agency=Ecowatch |url=https://www.ecowatch.com/china-reforestation-project-2524893906.html?xrs=RebelMouse_fb&ts=1515797634 |access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> According to the government's plan, by 2050, 30% of China's territory should be covered by forests.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Weida |title=China to increase forest coverage to 23 percent by 2020 |agency=GBTimes |url=https://gbtimes.com/china-to-increase-forest-coverage-to-23-percent-by-2020 |access-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226184239/https://gbtimes.com/china-to-increase-forest-coverage-to-23-percent-by-2020 |archive-date=26 December 2018}}</ref>

In 2017, the [[Saihanba National Forest Park|Saihanba]] Afforestation Community won the UN [[Champions of the Earth]] Award in the Inspiration and Action category for their successful reforestation efforts,<ref>{{cite web |title=A story of human bravery and beauty lost and regained. |url=https://web.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2017/saihanba-afforestation-community |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719202252/http://web.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2017/saihanba-afforestation-community |archive-date=2019-07-19 |access-date=2019-07-25 |publisher=Champions of the Earth}}</ref> which began upon discovering the survival of a single tree.<ref>{{cite web |title=China Focus: From a single tree to a forest – Saihanba's story |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com//english/2017-08/05/c_136502252.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728234302/http://www.xinhuanet.com//english/2017-08/05/c_136502252.htm |archive-date=July 28, 2019 |access-date=2019-08-15 |publisher=Xinhuanet.com}}</ref>

From 2016 to 2021, 3976 square kilometers of forests were planted in the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]], with plans for 20 million trees to be planted before 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=China directs efforts to protecting ecological environment |url=http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/?bbs=37121 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127235227/http://www.pyongyangtimes.com.kp/?bbs=37121 |archive-date=2022-01-27 |access-date=2021-01-30 |website=[[The Pyongyang Times]]}}</ref>

In the years 2012–2022 China restored more than {{convert|70|e6ha|km2}} of forests. China committed to plant and conserve 70 billion trees by the year 2030 as part of the [[Trillion Tree Campaign]].<ref name=":4">{{cite web |title=China will aim to plant and conserve 70 billion trees by 2030 as part of the global tree movement |url=https://www.weforum.org/press/2022/05/china-will-aim-to-plant-and-conserve-70-billion-trees-by-2030-as-part-of-the-global-tree-movement/ |access-date=3 June 2022 |website=World Economic Forum}}</ref>

The [[Jane Goodall Institute]] launched the Million Tree Project in Kulun Qi, [[Inner Mongolia]] to plant one million trees.<ref name="Shanghai Roots & Shoots">{{cite web |title=Shanghai Roots & Shoots – |url=http://www.jgi-shanghai.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224030000/http://www.jgi-shanghai.org/ |archive-date=2017-02-24 |access-date=2019-10-01 |work=jgi-shanghai.org}}</ref><ref name="The Million Tree Project">{{cite web |title=Million Tree Project :: Home |url=http://www.mtpchina.org |work=mtpchina.org}}</ref> China used 24 million hectares of new forest to offset 21% of Chinese fossil fuel emissions in 2000.<ref name="Canadell" />{{rp|1456}}

The Chinese government requires [[Mining industry of China|mining companies]] to restore the environment around exhausted mines by refilling excavated pits and planting crops or trees.<ref name=":123">{{Cite book |last=Zhan |first=Jing Vivian |title=China's Contained Resource Curse: How Minerals Shape State-Capital-Labor Relations |date=2022 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-009-04898-9 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom}}</ref>{{Rp|page=53}} Many mining companies use these recovered mines for [[ecotourism]] business.<ref name=":123" />{{Rp|pages=54-55}}

Launched in 1978 and scheduled to last until 2050, the Three Northern Protected Forest Development Program – informally known as the "[[Great Green Wall (China)|Great Green Wall]]" – aims to eventually plant nearly 90 million acres of new forest in a 2,800-mile stretch of northern China.<ref name=":12">{{cite web |last1=Luoma |first1=Jon |title=China's Reforestation Programs: Big Success or Just an Illusion? |url=https://e360.yale.edu/features/chinas_reforestation_programs_big_success_or_just_an_illusion |access-date=23 October 2022 |website=YaleEnvironment360 |publisher=the Yale School of the Environment}}</ref>

Over 69.3 million hectares of forest were planted across China from 1999 to 2013. This large-scale reforestation contributed to China's forests sequestering 1.11 ± 0.38 Gt carbon per yr over the period 2010 to 2016. This amounted to about 45 percent of the yearly greenhouse gas emissions during that period in China.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Xianghua |last2=Busch |first2=Jonah |last3=Huang |first3=Yingli |last4=Fleskens |first4=Luuk |last5=Qin |first5=Huiyan |last6=Qiao |first6=Zhenhua |date=2023 |title=Cost of mitigating climate change through reforestation in China |journal=Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |volume=6 |article-number=1229216 |bibcode=2023FrFGC...629216Z |doi=10.3389/ffgc.2023.1229216 |issn=2624-893X |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==== India ====
[[Jadav Payeng]] had received national awards for reforestation efforts, known as the "[[Molai forest]]". He planted 1400 hectares of forest on the bank of river [[Brahmaputra]] alone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kannadasan |first=Akila |date=2019-03-21 |title=Meet Jadav Payeng, India's Forest Man, who created 550 hectares of forest single-handedly |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/meet-jadav-payeng-a-man-who-created-550-hectares-of-forest-single-handedly/article26589168.ece |access-date=2020-11-30 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>  There are active reforestation efforts throughout the country. In 2016, India had more than 50&nbsp;million trees planted in [[Uttar Pradesh]] and in 2017, more than 66&nbsp;million trees planted in [[Madhya Pradesh]].<ref>{{cite news |date=2017-07-04 |title=Record 66 million trees planted in 12 hours in India |newspaper=ABC News |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-05/india-breaks-record-planting-66-million-trees-in-12-hours/8677302}}</ref> In addition to this and individual efforts, there are startup companies, such as Afforest,<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us {{!}} Afforestt |url=https://www.afforestt.com/about |access-date=2020-11-30 |website=www.afforestt.com}}</ref> that are being created over the country working on reforestation.<ref>{{cite web |date=2014-07-11 |title=The Man Who Has Created 33 Forests in India – He Can Make One in Your Backyard Too! |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/12212/forest-backyard-sustainable-environment-afforest/}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
Lots of plantation are being carried out in the Indian continent but the survivability is very poor especially for massive plantations, with less than 20% survivability rate. To improve the forest cover and to achieve the national mission of forest cover of 33%, there is a need to improve the methods of plantation. Rather than mass planting, there is a need to work on performance measurement & tracking of trees growth. Taking this into consideration, a non-profit organization [http://www.ekkadam.org Ek Kadam Sansthan] in [[Jaipur]] is leading the development of a module of mass tracking for plantations. The pilot has been done successfully and the organization is hoping to implement nationwide by the end of 2021.<ref name="Tracking of every plan">{{cite web |title="One Tree My Duty" |url=http://www.ekkadam.org |website=www.ekkadam.org |publisher=Ek Kadam}}</ref>

==== Japan ====
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery explain that about two-thirds of Japanese land is covered with forests,<ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Report on Forest and Forestry in Japan |url=http://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/publish/attach/pdf/index-64.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712184909/http://www.maff.go.jp/e/data/publish/attach/pdf/index-64.pdf |archive-date=12 July 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |publisher=Forestry Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan}}</ref> and it was almost unchanged from 1966 to 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Change in Forest Cover (2016) |url=http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/genkyou/h24/pdf/joukyou1_1_h24.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908130452/http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/genkyou/h24/pdf/joukyou1_1_h24.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |publisher=The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, Forestry Agency}}</ref> Japan needs to reduce 26% of greenhouse gas emission from 2013 by 2030 to accomplish Paris Agreement and is trying to reduce 2% of them by forestry.<ref>{{cite web |title=Promotion of International Efforts (2016) |url=http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/kikaku/hakusyo/28hakusyo/attach/pdf/zenbun-4.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180908130417/http://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/kikaku/hakusyo/28hakusyo/attach/pdf/zenbun-4.pdf |archive-date=8 September 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |publisher=The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery}}</ref>

Mass environmental and human-body pollution along with related deforestation, water pollution, smoke damage, and loss of soils caused by [[Ashio Copper Mine|mining operations in Ashio]], Tochigi became the first environmental social issue in Japan. Efforts by [[Shōzō Tanaka]] had grown to large campaigns against the copper operation. This led to the creation of '[[Watarase River|Watarase]] Yusuichi Pond', to settle the pollution which is a [[list of Ramsar sites in Japan|Ramsar site today]]. Reforestation was conducted as a part of [[afforestation]] due to inabilities of self-recovering by the natural land itself due to serious [[soil pollution]] and loss of woods consequence in loss of soils for plants to grow, thus needing artificial efforts involving introducing of healthy soils from outside. Starting from around 1897, about 50% of once bald mountains are now back to green.<ref>{{cite web |title=日光 足尾 体験植樹 案内 |url=http://www.ashiomidori.com/%E4%BD%93%E9%A8%93%E6%A4%8D%E6%A8%B9%E3%81%AE%E3%81%94%E6%A1%88%E5%86%85/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202020211/http://www.ashiomidori.com/%E4%BD%93%E9%A8%93%E6%A4%8D%E6%A8%B9%E3%81%AE%E3%81%94%E6%A1%88%E5%86%85/ |archive-date=2016-02-02 |access-date=2016-01-29}}</ref>

==== Pakistan ====
The [[Billion Tree Tsunami]] was launched in 2014 by planting 10 billion trees, by the provincial [[Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)]] and [[Imran Khan]], as a response to the challenge of global warming. Pakistan's Billion Tree Tsunami restored 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land to surpass its [[Bonn Challenge|Bonn Challenge commitment]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 11, 2017 |title=Pakistan's Billion Tree Tsunami restores 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land to surpass Bonn Challenge commitment |url=https://www.iucn.org/news/forests/201708/pakistan%E2%80%99s-billion-tree-tsunami-restores-350000-hectares-forests-and-degraded-land-surpass-bonn-challenge-commitment |website=IUCN}}</ref>

In 2018, [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Pakistan's prime minister]] [[Imran Khan]] declared that the country will plant [[10 Billion Tree Tsunami|10 billion trees]] in the next five years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chow |first1=Lorraine |date=30 July 2018 |title=Pakistan's Next Prime Minister Wants to Plant 10 Billion Trees |agency=Ecowatch |url=https://www.ecowatch.com/pakistans-prime-minister-plant-10-billion-trees-2591203191.html |access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref>

In 2020, the Pakistani government launched an initiative to hire 63,600 laborers to plant trees in the northern Punjab region, with indigenous species such as [[acacia]], [[mulberry]] and [[Moringa (genus)|moringa]]. This initiative was meant to alleviate unemployment caused by [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdowns]] to mitigate the spread of [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan's virus-idled workers hired to plant trees |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/pakistan-virus-idled-workers-hired-plant-trees-200429070109237.html |access-date=2020-05-02 |website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=COVID-19: Pakistan's 'green stimulus' scheme is a win-win for the environment and the unemployed |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/green-stimulus-pakistan-trees-coronavirus-covid10-enviroment-climate-change/ |access-date=2020-05-02 |website=World Economic Forum |date=30 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==== Philippines ====
In 2011, the Philippines established the National Greening Program as a priority program to help reduce poverty, promote food security, environmental stability, and biodiversity conservation, as well as enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation in the country. The program paved the way for the planting of almost 1.4 billion seedlings in about 1.66 million hectares nationwide during the 2011–2016 period. The [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the [[United Nations]] ranked the Philippines fifth among countries reporting the greatest annual forest area gain, which reached 240,000 hectares during the 2010–2015 period.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 January 2018 |title=PH reforestation program sees steady growth in 2017 |language=en |work=Philippine News Agency |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1018485 |access-date=24 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111221316/https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1018485 |archive-date=11 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Galvez |first1=Manny |date=21 February 2016 |title=Philippines 5th out of 234 countries on forest gain |work=The Philippine Star |url=https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/21/1555647/philippines-5th-out-234-countries-forest-gain |access-date=12 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919153203/https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/21/1555647/philippines-5th-out-234-countries-forest-gain |archive-date=19 September 2018}}</ref>

==== Thailand ====
Efforts are being made in [[Thailand]] to restore the land after 800,000 [[hectare]]s of forest have been destroyed in exchange for [[cash crop]] land to grow [[maize]].<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |date=2020-09-25 |title=Halting Deforestation, an Agroforestry Approach |url=https://www.wwf-scp.org/halting-deforestation-agroforestry/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=WWF-SCP |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Agroforestry]] has become part of the solution to fix the damage caused by deforestation. Agroforestry would affect the agriculture and atmosphere in Thailand in numerous ways. By planting a combination of different tree species, these trees are able to change the microclimatic conditions.<ref name=":15" /> [[Nutrient cycle|Nutrient cycling]] also occurs when trees are incorporated in the agricultural system.<ref name=":15" /> It is also probable that the [[soil erosion]] that occurred as a result of deforestation can be mediated when these trees are planted.<ref name=":15" />

=== Europe ===
[[File:Biodiversity on clearcut.jpg|thumb|A 15-year-old reforested plot of land]]

==== Armenia ====
The [[Armenia Tree Project]] was founded in 1994 to address environmental and economic concerns related to [[Armenia]]'s dwindling forests. Since its founding, the organization has planted more than 6.5 million trees in communities throughout Armenia.<ref>{{cite news |author=Aram Arkun |date=October 3, 2014 |title=Armenian Tree Project Celebrates 20th Anniversary |work=The Armenian Mirror-Spectator |url=http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2014/10/03/armenian-tree-project-celebrates-20th-anniversary/}}</ref>

[[My Forest Armenia]] was founded in 2019 and has since planted 910,000 trees in Armenia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=583,513 Trees Planted in Fall 2023: A Record-Breaking Achievement! |url=https://myforestarmenia.org/news/583,513_trees_planted_in_fall_2023:_a_record-breaking_achievement! |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=My Forest Armenia}}</ref>

==== Iceland ====
Prior to the [[Settlement of Iceland#Environmental effects|deforestation of Iceland in the Middle Ages]], some 40% of the land was forested.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 6, 2018 |title=Iceland is replanting its forests 1,000 years after vikings razed them |url=https://inhabitat.com/iceland-is-regrowing-its-forests-1000-years-after-vikings-razed-them/}}</ref> Today, the country is about 2% forested, with the [[Icelandic Forest Service]] aiming to increase that share to 10% through reforestation and natural regrowth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spades, saplings and sheep: Iceland battles to restore long-lost forests |url=https://www.skogur.is/en/moya/news/spades-saplings-and-sheep-iceland-battles-to-restore-long-lost-forests |website=Skógræktin |access-date=6 July 2023 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707161500/https://www.skogur.is/en/moya/news/spades-saplings-and-sheep-iceland-battles-to-restore-long-lost-forests }}</ref>

==== Ireland ====
In 2019 the government of [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] decided to plant 440&nbsp;million trees by 2040. The decision is part of the government's plan to make [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] [[carbon neutral]] by 2050 with [[renewable energy]], land use change and [[carbon tax]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosane |first1=Olivia |date=September 3, 2019 |title=Ireland to Plant 440 Million Trees in 20 Years to Fight Climate Change |agency=Ecowatch |url=https://www.ecowatch.com/ireland-planting-trees-2640173016.html |access-date=9 September 2019}}</ref>

Ireland is also driven to increase sustainable timber consumption while also adding more eco friendly work positions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ireland's planning to make its Emerald Isle even greener |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/ireland-reforestation-environment-trees/ |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=World Economic Forum |date=6 September 2019 |language=en}}</ref> They also have taken efforts to limit the use of methane emissions by signing a pledge to draw back methane use by 30%.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Glasgow |first=Denis Staunton |title=Cop26: Ireland to sign global pledge for 30% cut in methane emissions |language=en |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/cop26-ireland-to-sign-global-pledge-for-30-cut-in-methane-emissions-1.4716490 |access-date=2022-05-16}}</ref>

==== Germany ====
By the 14th century, forests in heavily populated areas had been devastated by industry, many of which required wood for their activities.<ref name="auto2">{{cite book |last1=Stubenrauch |first1=Jessica |title=Forest Governance Overcoming Trade-Offs between Land-Use Pressures, Climate and Biodiversity Protection |last2=Ekardt |first2=Felix |last3=Hagemann |first3=Katharina |last4=Garske |first4=Beatrice |date=2022 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-030-99183-8 |location=Switzerland |page=63 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-99184-5 |s2cid=248302731}}</ref> Peter Stromer (1310–1388), lord of the Stromer trading and commercial company, was spurred by this shortage to "conduct forest culture experiments".<ref name="auto2" /> In 1368 he successfully sowed fir and pine seeds in the Nuremberg Reichswald, which over time ended the wood shortage and established the "triumph of the pine in the Nuremberg Reichswald" (at the expense of other deciduous trees).<ref name="auto2" /> The "doctrine of coniferous sowing" spread widely through forestry regulations and other writing at the time.<ref name="auto2" />

Reforestation is required as part of the federal forest law. 31% of Germany is forested, according to the second forest inventory of 2001–2003. The size of the forest area in Germany increased between the first and the second forest inventory due to forestation of degenerated [[bog]]s and agricultural areas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grußwort – Bundeswaldinventur |url=http://www.bundeswaldinventur.de |work=bundeswaldinventur.de}}</ref>

==== United Kingdom ====
{{See also|Afforestation#United Kingdom}}
Since the 1980s, 8.5 million trees have been planted in the United Kingdom in an area of the [[Midlands]] around the villages of [[Moira, Leicestershire|Moira]] and [[Donisthorpe]], close to Leicester. The area is called [[The National Forest]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-06 |title=How millions of trees brought a broken landscape back to life |url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/07/national-forest-woodland-midlands-regeneration |access-date=2021-01-30 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> An even larger reforestation project, called [[Northern Forest (England)|The Northern Forest]], is beginning in South Yorkshire. It aims to plant 50 million trees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Northern Forest |url=https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/we-plant-trees/the-northern-forest/ |access-date=2021-01-30 |website=Woodland Trust |language=en-GB}}</ref> Despite this, the UK government has been criticized for not achieving its tree planting goals.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-10-26 |title=Reality Check: Are millions of trees being planted? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41551296 |access-date=2021-01-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-06-13 |title=Tree-planting in England falls 71% short of government target |url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/13/tree-planting-in-england-falls-72-short-of-government-target |access-date=2021-01-30 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> There have also been concerns of non-native tree planting disturbing the ecological integrity and processes of what would be a native habitat restoration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Disappointing planting figures in England still far below Government target |url=https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/press-centre/2020/06/government-planting-figures/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126025759/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/press-centre/2020/06/government-planting-figures/ |archive-date=2021-01-26 |access-date=2021-01-30 |website=Woodland Trust |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Middle East ===

==== Israel ====
{{See also|Afforestation#Israel}}

Since 1948, large reforestation and afforestation projects were accomplished in Israel. 240&nbsp;million trees have been planted. The carbon sequestration rate in these forests is similar to the European temperate forests.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brand |first1=David |url=http://www.kkl-jnf.org/files/forests/afforestation-israel/UNFF-Afforestation-Israel.pdf |title=Forestry for People |last2=Moshe |first2=Itzhak |last3=Shaler |first3=Moshe |last4=Zuk |first4=Aviram |last5=Riov |first5=Dr Joseph |date=2011 |publisher=UN |pages=273–280 |access-date=30 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930193110/http://www.kkl-jnf.org/files/forests/afforestation-israel/UNFF-Afforestation-Israel.pdf |archive-date=30 September 2018 }}</ref>

Israel and only one other country was documented to have a net increase of forestation in the 2000s. This type of progress could be attributed to the social practices that Israel incorporates into their society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reforesting Israel, Restoring Israel |url=http://www.allcreation.org/home/refo-is |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=AllCreation.org |date=22 February 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=July 2022|reason=non-reliable source}}

==== Lebanon ====
For thousands of years Lebanon was covered by forests; one particular species of interest, ''[[Cedrus libani]]'' was exceptionally valuable and was almost eliminated due to lumbering operations.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Forest and landscape restoration in Lebanon |encyclopedia=Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/tree/ |access-date=25 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317095406/https://www.britannica.com/plant/tree |archive-date=2018-03-17 }}</ref> Many ancient cultures along the Mediterranean Sea harvested these trees including the Phoenicians who used cedar, pine and juniper for boat building, the Romans, who cut them down for lime-burning kilns, and the Ottomans, who used much of the remaining cedar forests of Lebanon as fuel in steam trains in the early 20th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lebanon National Forest Program 2015–2025, Ministry of Agriculture |url=http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/leb163865.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526042046/http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/leb163865.pdf |archive-date=2018-05-26 |access-date=2018-05-25}}</ref> Despite two millennia of deforestation, forests in Lebanon still cover 13.6% of the country, and other wooded lands represent 11%.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 April 2016 |title=Forest and landscape restoration in Lebanon |url=http://www.fao.org/in-action/forest-landscape-restoration-mechanism/resources/detail/en/c/412643/ |access-date=24 May 2018 |publisher=FAO |archive-date=25 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525133311/http://www.fao.org/in-action/forest-landscape-restoration-mechanism/resources/detail/en/c/412643/ }}</ref>

Law No. 558, which was ratified by the Lebanese Parliament on April 19, 1996, aims to protect and expand existing forests, classifying all forests of cedar, [[fir]], high juniper, evergreen cypress and other trees, whether diverse or homogeneous, whether state-owned or not as conserved forests.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 July 1996 |title=Lebanese Forest Conservation Law |url=https://jabalrihane.wordpress.com/2007/11/17/lebanese-forest-conservation-law/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526042207/https://jabalrihane.wordpress.com/2007/11/17/lebanese-forest-conservation-law/ |archive-date=26 May 2018 |access-date=25 May 2018 |publisher=Jabal Rihan}}</ref>

Since 2011 more than 600,000 trees, including cedars and other native species, have been planted throughout Lebanon as part of the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative, which aims to restore Lebanon's native forests.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 January 2017 |title=Restoring Lebanon's cedar forests |url=https://share.america.gov/restoring-lebanons-cedar-forests/ |access-date=24 May 2018 |publisher=Share America}}</ref> Projects financed locally and by international charity are performing extensive reforestation of cedar being carried out in the Mediterranean region, particularly in Lebanon and Turkey, where over 50&nbsp;million young cedars are being planted annually.

The Lebanon Reforestation Initiative has been working with tree nurseries throughout Lebanon since 2012 to grow stronger seedlings with higher survival rates.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sowing Seeds Today for a Better Tomorrow |url=http://www.lri-lb.org/en/nurseries.php#nurseries |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526112706/http://www.lri-lb.org/en/nurseries.php#nurseries |archive-date=26 May 2018 |access-date=25 May 2018 |publisher=Lebanon Reforestation}}</ref>

==== Turkey ====
Of the country's 78&nbsp;million hectares of land in total, the [[Ministry Of Agriculture And Forestry (Turkey)|Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry]] aims to increase [[:Category:Forests of Turkey|Turkey's forest cover]] to 30% by 2023.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 March 2018 |title=Turkey goes greener with new afforestation campaign |work=Daily Sabah |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2018/03/22/turkey-goes-greener-with-new-afforestation-campaign}}</ref>

Four thousand years ago, [[Anatolia]] was 60% to 70% forested.<ref name="Colak">{{cite journal |last1=Colak and Rotherham |date=2006 |title=A Review of the Forest Vegetation of Turkey: Its Status Past and Present and Its Future Conservation |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/64d0/bb39fb92969a5e65770e69ab71cca70cc44d.pdf |journal=Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy |volume=106 B |pages=343–354 |doi=10.3318/BIOE.2006.106.3.343 |s2cid=46955795 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132343/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/64d0/bb39fb92969a5e65770e69ab71cca70cc44d.pdf |archive-date=2018-09-14 |number=3}}</ref> Although the [[flora of Turkey]] remains more biodiverse than many European countries, deforestation occurred during both prehistoric<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Willcox |first1=G. H. |date=1974 |title=A History of Deforestation as Indicated by Charcoal Analysis of Four Sites in Eastern Anatolia |journal=Anatolian Studies |volume=24 |pages=117–133 |doi=10.2307/3642603 |jstor=3642603 |s2cid=131664221}}</ref> and historic times, including the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hughes |first1=J.D. |date=2010 |title=Ancient Deforestation Revisited |journal=Journal of the History of Biology |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=43–57 |doi=10.1007/s10739-010-9247-3 |pmid=20669043 |s2cid=24975334}}</ref> and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Conference Review: "Environmental History of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey", University of Hamburg, 27-28 October 2017 |url=https://networks.h-net.org/node/19397/discussions/1065869/conference-review-environmental-history-ottoman-empire-and-turkey |website=H Net}}</ref> periods.

Since the first forest code of 1937, the official government definition of 'forest' has varied.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lund |first1=H. Gyde |date=2014 |title=What Is a Forest? Definitions Do Make a Difference an Example from Turkey |url=http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/59831 |journal=Avrasya Terim Dergisi |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132353/http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/59831 |archive-date=2018-09-14 |access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref> According to the current definition, 21&nbsp;million hectares are forested, an increase of about 1&nbsp;million hectares over the past thirty years, but only about half is 'productive'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Turkey Forests |url=https://www.ogm.gov.tr/lang/en/Pages/Forests/TurkeyForests.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132446/https://www.ogm.gov.tr/lang/en/Pages/Forests/TurkeyForests.aspx |archive-date=14 September 2018 |access-date=14 September 2018 |website=General Directorate of Forestry}}</ref> However, according to the United Nations [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] definition of forest,<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015: Country Report: Turkey |url=http://www.fao.org/3/a-az358e.pdf |publisher=[[FAO]]}}</ref> about 12&nbsp;million hectares was forested in 2015,<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 Desk Reference |url=http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4808e.pdf |publisher=[[FAO]]}}</ref> about 15% of the land surface.{{Update inline|date=May 2021}}

The amount of [[greenhouse gas emissions by Turkey]] removed by forests is very uncertain.<ref name=":3">Turkish Greenhouse Gas Inventory report (2019), [https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/tur-2019-nir-13apr19.zip zip file]</ref>{{rp|489}}{{As of|2019}}, however, a new assessment is being made with the help of satellites and new soil measurements and better information should be available by 2020.<ref name=":3" /> According to the [[World Resources Institute]] "Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities", 50&nbsp;million hectares are potential forest land, a similar area to the ancient Anatolian forest mentioned above.<ref>{{cite web |title=Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities |url=http://www.wri.org/applications/maps/flr-atlas/# |access-date=14 September 2018 |publisher=World Resources Institute}}</ref> This could help limit [[climate change in Turkey]]. To help preserve the [[Turkey#Biodiversity|biodiversity of Turkey]], more sustainable forestry has been suggested.<ref name="Colak" /> Improved [[rangeland management]] is also needed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gökbulak |first1=Ferhat |last2=Erdoğan |first2=Betül Uygur |last3=Yıldırım |first3=Hasan Tezcan |last4=Özçelik |first4=Mehmet S. |date=2018-07-20 |title=Causes of land degradation and rehabilitation efforts of rangelands in Turkey |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/forestist/396995 |journal=Forestist |language=en |volume=68 |issue=2 |pages=106–113}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

National Forestation Day is on 11 November but, according to the agriculture and forestry [[trade union]], although volunteers planted a record number of trees in 2019, most had died by 2020 in part due to lack of rainfall.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kent |first=Sami |date=2020-01-30 |title=Most of 11m trees planted in Turkish project 'may be dead' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/30/most-of-11m-trees-planted-in-turkish-project-may-be-dead |access-date=2020-01-30 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

=== North America ===

==== Canada ====
[[Image:RedPinePlantation.JPG|thumb|right|A 21-year-old plantation of [[red pine]] in southern [[Ontario]]]]Natural Resources Canada (The Department of Natural Resources) states that the national forest cover was decreased by 0.34% from 1990 to 2015, and Canada has the lowest deforestation rate in the world.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 2014 |title=Indicator: Forest area |url=https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/report/area/16397 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803191628/https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/report/area/16397 |archive-date=3 August 2016 |access-date=7 September 2018 |website=Natural Resources Canada |publisher=Government of Canada}}</ref> The forest industry is one of the main industries in Canada, which contributes about 7% of Canadian economy,<ref>{{cite web |date=2014-08-26 |title=How does the forest industry contribute to the economy? |url=https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/report/economy/16517 |access-date=7 September 2018 |website=Natural Resources Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |archive-date=8 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008182452/https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/report/economy/16517 }}</ref> and about 9% of the forests on Earth are in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |date=2013-04-16 |title=Sustainable forest management in Canada |url=https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/canada/sustainable-forest-management/13183 |access-date=7 September 2018 |website=Natural Resources Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |archive-date=21 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221100146/https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/canada/sustainable-forest-management/13183 }}</ref> Therefore, Canada has many policies and laws to commit to sustainable forest management. For example, 94% of Canadian forests are public land, and the government obligates planting trees after harvesting to public forests.<ref>{{cite web |date=2013-06-27 |title=Deforestation in Canada: Key myths and facts |url=https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/fire-insects-disturbances/deforestation/13419 |access-date=7 September 2018 |website=Natural Resources Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |archive-date=4 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704021930/https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/fire-insects-disturbances/deforestation/13419 }}</ref>

==== United States ====
[[File:Regrowth - Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.JPG|thumb|Forest regrowth in [[Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest]], Washington state, US]]
It is the stated goal of the [[United States Forest Service]] (USFS) to manage forest resources sustainably. This includes reforestation after timber harvest, among other programs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 April 2012 |title=Forest Service Chief testifies before Senate appropriations committee on 2013 agency budget |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/news/2012/releases/04/budget.shtml |access-date=29 April 2012 |publisher=US Forest Service}}</ref>
[[File:Reforestation, Montana, USA (9206).jpg|thumb|Reforestation in Montana, USA.]]
[[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) data shows that forest occupied about 46% of total U.S. land in 1630 (when European settlers began to arrive in large numbers), but had decreased to 34% by 1910. After 1910, forest area has remained almost constant although the U.S. population has increased substantially.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Forest Resource Facts and Historical Trends |url=https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/brochures/docs/2012/ForestFacts_1952-2012_English.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219214554/https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/brochures/docs/2012/ForestFacts_1952-2012_English.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018 |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture}}</ref> In the late 19th century, the USFS was established in part to address the concern of natural disasters due to deforestation, and new reforestation programs and federal laws such as the Knutson-Vandenberg Act (1930) were implemented. The USFS states that human-directed reforestation is required to support natural regeneration and the agency engages in ongoing research into effective ways to restore forests.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reforestation Overview |url=https://www.fs.fed.us/restoration/reforestation/overview.shtml |access-date=7 September 2018 |website=U.S. Forest Service}}</ref>

As for the year 2020, the U.S. planted 2.5&nbsp;billion trees per year. At the beginning of the year 2020, a bill that will increase the number to 3.3&nbsp;billion, was proposed by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], after President [[Donald Trump]] joined the [[Trillion Tree Campaign]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Frazin |first1=Rachel |last2=Beitsch |first2=Rebecca |date=2 February 2020 |title=GOP bill will seek to commit US to planting 3.3 billion trees annually |agency=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/480968-gop-lawmaker-wants-us-to-commit-to-planting-33-billion-trees |access-date=3 March 2020}}</ref>

=== Latin America ===

[[File:Hasta luego 001.JPG|thumb|right|Tropical tree nursery at Planeta Verde Reforestación S.A.'s plantation in [[Vichada Department]], [[Colombia]]]]
====Bolivia====
Training in reforestation for young people in [[Bolivia]] has been provided by [[Oxfam Intermón]].<ref>Oxfam UK, ''Voices'', Spring/Summer 2024, p. 12</ref>

==== Costa Rica ====
{{Main|Reforestation in Costa Rica}}
Through reforestation and environmental conservation, Costa Rica doubled its forest cover in 30 years between 1989 and 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Costa Rica has doubled its tropical rainforests in just a few decades. Here's how |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/06/costa-rica-has-doubled-its-tropical-rainforests-in-just-a-few-decades-here-s-how/ |access-date=2020-05-06 |website=World Economic Forum |date=13 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

Costa Rica has a long-standing commitment to the environment. The country is now one of the leaders of [[sustainability]], [[biodiversity]], and other protections. It wants to be completely fossil fuel free by 2050.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrea D. Steffen |date=2019-06-04 |title=Costa Rica Doubled Its Forest Cover In Just 30 Years! |url=https://www.intelligentliving.co/costa-rica-forest-cover/ |access-date=2022-02-26 |website=Intelligent Living |language=en-GB}}</ref> The country has generated all of its electric power from renewable sources for three years as of 2019. It has committed to be carbon-free and plastic-free by 2021.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dey |first1=Subhashish |last2=Sreenivasulu |first2=Anduri |last3=Veerendra |first3=G. T. N. |last4=Rao |first4=K. Venkateswara |last5=Babu |first5=P. S. S. Anjaneya |date=2022-09-01 |title=Renewable energy present status and future potentials in India: An overview |journal=Innovation and Green Development |volume=1 |issue=1 |article-number=100006 |doi=10.1016/j.igd.2022.100006 |s2cid=253649681 |issn=2949-7531|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022InnGD...100006D }}</ref>

As of 2019, half of the country's land surface is covered with forests. They absorb a huge amount of [[carbon dioxide]], combating climate change.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Forests and Climate Change |url=https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/forests-and-climate-change |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=MIT Climate Portal |language=en}}</ref>

In the 1940s, more than 75% of the country was covered in mostly tropical rainforests and other indigenous woodlands. Between the 1940s and 1980s, extensive, uncontrolled [[logging]] led to severe deforestation. By 1983, only 26% of the country had forest cover. Realizing the devastation, policymakers took a stand. Through a continued environmental focus they were able to turn things around to the point that today forest cover has increased to 52%, two times more than 1983 levels.

An honorable world leader for [[ecotourism]] and conservation, Costa Rica has pioneered the development of payments for environmental services. Costa Rica's extensive system of environmental protection has been encouraging conservation and reforestation of the land by providing grants for environmental services. The system is not just advanced for its time but is also unparalleled in the world. It received great international attention.

Costa Rica doubled its forest cover in 30 years using its system of grants and other payments for environmental services, including compensation for landowners. One of the main programs established in Costa Rica was the Forest Promotion Certificate in 1979 and is funded by international donations and nationwide taxes.<ref name=":2">{{Citation |last=Pancel |first=Laslo |title=Reforestation Incentives Systems for Tree Plantations in the Tropics∗ |date=2016 |work=Tropical Forestry Handbook |pages=1531–1547 |editor-last=Pancel |editor-first=Laslo |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-54601-3_123 |isbn=978-3-642-54601-3 |editor2-last=Köhl |editor2-first=Michael}}</ref><ref name="intelligentliving.co">{{cite web |last1=Steffen |first1=Andrea D. |date=4 June 2019 |title=Costa Rica Doubled Its Forest Cover In Just 30 Years! |url=https://www.intelligentliving.co/costa-rica-forest-cover/ |access-date=18 June 2019 |website=Intelligent Living}}</ref> The initiative is helping to protect the forests in the country, and is now helped pass both the Forest Law in 1986 and FONAFIFO in 1990 which insures the continuity of the conservation programs.<ref name=":2" />

Costa Rica's ambitious reforestation initiatives have transformed the landscape, fostering biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and sustainable land management practices.<ref>{{Citation |last=Pancel |first=Laslo |title=Reforestation Incentives Systems for Tree Plantations in the Tropics∗ |date=2016 |work=Tropical Forestry Handbook |pages=1531–1547 |editor-last=Pancel |editor-first=Laslo |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-54601-3_123 |isbn=978-3-642-54601-3 |editor2-last=Köhl |editor2-first=Michael}}</ref>

==== Peru ====
Approximately 59% of Peru is covered by forest.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vizzuality |title=Peru Deforestation Rates & Statistics {{!}} GFW |url=https://www.globalforestwatch.org/country/PER/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310072536/http://www.globalforestwatch.org/country/PER |archive-date=2018-03-10 |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=www.globalforestwatch.org |language=en}}</ref> A history of political turmoil and the government's inability to enforce environmental regulations has led to the degradation of the forest and environment in Peru. A military coup in 1968 caused a loss of economic mobility in the [[Talara Province|Talara]] region and sparked a boom in [[illegal logging]] due to the lack of alternative economic opportunities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 2020 |title=Engineering For People Design Brief |url=https://www.ewb-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/EcoSwell-Design-Brief-2020-A4.pdf. |website=EcoSwell}}</ref> Illegal mining and logging operations are responsible for a great deal of Peru's deforestation and environmental damage.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Damonte |first=Gerardo H. |date=2016 |title=The "Blind" State: Government Quest for Formalization and Conflict with Small-Scale Miners in the Peruvian Amazon: The "Blind" State |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/anti.12230 |journal=Antipode |language=en |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=956–976 |doi=10.1111/anti.12230|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Peruvian government has not been able to enforce an environmentally conscious mining formalization plan to protect the Amazon forest in the [[Madre de Dios Province|Madre de Dios]] region. The 1980s were known in Peru as the "lost decade" due to a nationwide internal conflict and severe economic crisis almost destroying the country and resulting in the state losing control over several regions.<ref name=":1" /> Many areas in Peru, including Madre de Dios, had no state presence until the government initiated a movement to 'conquer and populate the Amazon,' with the hopes of minimizing illegal and informal mining operations that had expanded in the region and were polluting the Amazonian rivers and the destroying of its forests.<ref name=":1" />

Reforestation initiatives have expanded in the country since. In Peru, reforestation is essential to preserving the livelihoods of rural communities because much of the population relies on the forest in some way.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=VonZabern |first=Karl |date=2018 |title=From Protests to Policy: How the Institutionalization of Indigenous Movements Affects Environmental Policy Related to Resource Extraction in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia |url=https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/honors_theses/8p58pj16x |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301015518/https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/honors_theses/8p58pj16x |url-status=live |archive-date=1 March 2020 |journal=Carolina Digital Repository}}</ref> Deforestation also disproportionally affects indigenous communities in Peru, which is why reforestation efforts are essential for the protection of many communities' livelihoods.{{Cn|date=November 2024}}

=== Sub-Saharan Africa ===
One plan in this region, called [[Great Green Wall (Africa)]], involves planting a nine-mile width of trees on the Southern Border of the [[Sahara desert (ecoregion)|Sahara Desert]] for stopping its expansion to the south.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mohammed |first=Omar |date=22 December 2015 |title=African countries are building a "Great Green Wall" to beat back the Sahara desert |url=https://qz.com/africa/579682/african-countries-are-building-a-great-green-wall-to-beat-back-the-sahara-desert/ |website=Quartz Africa}}</ref> However, this is more of an [[afforestation]] project than a reforestation one.{{Cn|date=November 2024}}

In 2019, [[Ethiopia]] begun a massive tree planting campaign "Green Legacy" with a target to plant 4&nbsp;billion trees in one year. In one day only, over 350&nbsp;million trees were planted.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davidson |first1=Jordan |date=July 30, 2019 |title=Ethiopia Plants Record-Breaking 350 Million Trees |agency=Ecowatch |url=https://www.ecowatch.com/ethiopia-plants-record-breaking-trees-2639514648.html |access-date=28 August 2019}}</ref>

==== Nigeria ====
{{Excerpt|Reforestation in Nigeria}}

== Organizations and programs ==

* [[Ecosia]] is a non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany, that has planted over 100&nbsp;million trees worldwide as of July 2020.
* [[Trees for the Future]] has assisted more than 170,000 families, in 6,800 villages of Asia, Africa and the Americas, to plant over 35&nbsp;million trees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trees for the Future |url=http://www.treesftf.org/about/history.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613074936/http://treesftf.org/about/history.htm |archive-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref>
* Ecologi is an organization that offers its members ways to support climate change solutions. This includes offsetting their carbon emissions and tree planting. So far over 50 million trees have been planted through Ecologi, as well a more than 2.2 million tonnes of CO2e reduced.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ecologi Public Impact and Operations Ledger |url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dACvzjE5nBE1cKZBAhYzsUa7rIiLJqCWXVgY4bNS8_Q/edit?usp=embed_facebook |website=Google Docs}}</ref>
* [[Wangari Maathai]], 2004 [[Nobel Peace Prize]] recipient, founded the [[Green Belt Movement]] which planted over 47&nbsp;million trees to restore the Kenyan environment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Green Belt Movement |url=http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/ |website=www.greenbeltmovement.org}}</ref>
* [[Team Trees]] was a 2019 fundraiser with an initiative to plant 20&nbsp;million trees. The initiative was started by American [[YouTuber]]s [[MrBeast]] and [[Mark Rober]], and was mostly supported by YouTubers. The [[Arbor Day Foundation]] will work with its local partners around the world to plant one tree for each dollar they raise.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=David |date=30 October 2019 |title=YouTube star MrBeast wants to plant 20 million trees. Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, and more are helping him do it. |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/us/youtube-mrbeast-trees-trnd/index.html |access-date=2020-05-06 |website=CNN}}</ref>
* [[Trees For Life (Australia)|Trees For Life]] ([[Brooklyn Park, South Australia|Brooklyn Park]]) is a state based organization, which was established back in 1981 and delivers conservation, revegetation and community training programs. It now has thousands of active supporters<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 July 2021 |title=Trees For Life |url=https://treesforlife.org.au/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304082850/https://treesforlife.org.au/ |archive-date=4 March 2021 |access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref> and energizes activity within communities.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 July 2021 |title=From Little Things Big Things Grow |work=The Southern Cross |url=https://thesoutherncross.org.au/schools/2021/07/19/from-little-things-big-things-grow/ |access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref>
* Many companies are trying to achieve [[carbon offsets]] by [[nature-based solutions]] like reforestation, including mangrove forests and soil restoration. Among them are [[Microsoft]] and [[Eni]]. Increasing the forest cover of Earth by 25% will offset the human emissions in the last 20 years. In any case it will be necessary to pull from the atmosphere the {{CO2}} that already have been emitted. However, this can work only if the companies will stop new emissions and stop deforestation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hook |first1=Leslie |date=28 July 2020 |title=Business turns to nature to fight climate change |agency=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/7d940587-4502-4468-acea-a67b7bf6a523 |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/7d940587-4502-4468-acea-a67b7bf6a523 |archive-date=2022-12-10}}</ref>
* The 2020 [[World Economic Forum]], held in Davos, announced the creation of the [[Trillion Tree Campaign]], which is an initiative aiming to plant 1&nbsp;trillion trees across the globe. The implementation can have big environmental and societal benefits but needs to be tailored to local conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-26 |title=Tree-planting programs can do more harm than good |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/how-to-regrow-forest-right-way-minimize-fire-water-use/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427035302/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/how-to-regrow-forest-right-way-minimize-fire-water-use/ |archive-date=27 April 2019 |access-date=2020-07-04 |website=Environment |language=en}}</ref>
* The [[Forest restoration|forest landscape restoration strategy]] seeks to rehabilitate landscapes and repair marginal and degraded areas in order to generate productive forest landscapes that are resilient and long-term. It aims to guarantee that diverse ecological and land-use functions are restored, safeguarded, and preserved over time.<ref name=":107" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/rep-2004-016.pdf|title=The Role of Planted Forests in Forest Landscape Restoration}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Trees}}
* {{annotated link|Forest restoration}}
* {{annotated link|Forestry}}
* {{annotated link|Land rehabilitation}}
* {{annotated link|Land restoration}}
* {{annotated link|Mangrove restoration}}
* {{annotated link|Revegetation}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

{{Forestry}}
{{Forestry tools}}
{{Climate change}}
{{Human impact on the environment}}
{{Conservation of species}}
{{deforestation and desertification}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Reforestation| ]]
[[Category:Deforestation|*Reforest]]
[[Category:Forest management]]
[[Category:Habitat]]
[[Category:Emissions reduction]]
[[Category:Carbon dioxide removal]]