Reforestation:Nature’s Own Best Solution
Michael Shafer
ABSTRACT
With climate change no longer a distant threat but a daily problem, it is necessary to find sustainable, effective solutions. Floods are intensifying, droughts are becoming more frequent, and the very soil beneath our feet is eroding and losing its fertility. In the face of all this, one solution stands out both for its elegance and effectiveness: reforestation.
Reforestation—the process of replanting trees in areas where forests have been lost, especially where forest trees have been burned on mountainsides to create steep fields—offers a powerful, nature-based response to many of the challenges of climate change. It can mitigate flooding, combat drought, curb erosion, and rejuvenate soil health. It seems costly to plant a forest, not least because the costs of preparation and seedlings must be paid up front, to say nothing of the years of waiting while a forest matures. But considering the obvious and hidden costs of flooding, as well as the unmeasured costs of drought, topsoil loss and erosion, such costs are insignificant. Reforestation is not just a good idea; it’s a practical, scalable strategy for resilience to key ravages of climate change.
