The role of trees in mitigating climate change is discussed in an article in The Guardian by Dr Charles Palmer of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.

Palmer outlines the process by which trees store CO2 in their biomass and argues that while plantation forests, reforested areas and agroforestry might have the potential to absorb CO2 at higher rates than natural forests, they can only make a limited contribution to reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

The rules and procedures under the Kyoto protocol have made it difficult to get tree planting and reforestation projects off the ground. Other projects have ended up being costly because of the need to purchase inputs or protect young trees from fire, drought, pests or diseases. There is also the issue of land cost where tree planting has to compete with other land uses such as food or biofuel production.

Palmer believes that without a high carbon price, tree planting is unlikely to make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.

Read the full story: To what extent could planting trees help solve climate change?