Journal of
Horticulture and Forestry

  • Abbreviation: J. Hortic. For.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2006-9782
  • DOI: 10.5897/JHF
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 316

Review

Will afforestation in temperate zones warm the Earth?

David B. South1*, Xuhui Lee2 and Michael G. Messina3
1School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Alabama 36830 USA.  2School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 195 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 USA. 3School of Forest Resources, Penn State University, 117 Forest Resources Building, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 USA.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 16 April 2011
  •  Published: 31 July 2011

Abstract

For decades, forest researchers have known that planting trees on cropland or pastures (that is, afforestation) can lower the surface albedo and that landscapes with low albedo absorb more solar radiation than more reflective surfaces. Consequently, afforestation will typically darken the Earth’s surface (when compared to grasslands or deserts). In spite of this knowledge, many believe that afforestation will cool the Earth’s atmosphere since wood is composed of carbon molecules. Therefore, there are two schools of thought on how afforestation affects global climate. The “COSchool” believes that afforestation will have a cooling effect, regardless of the location of the planted trees. In contrast, the “Holistic School” believes the climate is a complex system affected by numerous variables, including clouds and the surface albedo. Many from this School say that afforestation in boreal zones could warm the Earth. This paper reviews some papers from the “Holistic School” and asks the question: will afforestation in temperate zones warm the Earth?

 

Key words: Albedo, boreal, deforestation, carbon sequestration, climate change, climate policy, tropical.