Tree planting is widely promoted as a cost-effective way to reduce global warming due to trees’ ability to store large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. However, an international group of scientists argues that planting trees in northern regions may actually accelerate, rather than slow down, planetary warming.
As stated in their study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the possibilities for tree planting are shifting further north due to global warming, leading many governments and corporations to propose large-scale afforestation projects in the Arctic as a means of mitigating climate change. However, planting trees in unsuitable locations, such as tundras, wetlands, or vast sections of boreal forests with sparse canopies, may actually worsen the problem.
Associate Professor Jeppe Kristensen from Aarhus University in Denmark explains that the specific characteristics of Arctic and sub-Arctic ecosystems make them unfavorable for afforestation as a climate change mitigation strategy.
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Kristensen explains that Arctic soils store more carbon than all the vegetation on the planet, but they are extremely sensitive to changes. Activities such as land preparation for forestry or agriculture, as well as the penetration of tree roots, can disturb this carbon in the soil. Additionally, during spring and early summer, when snow still covers the ground, the region experiences semi-continuous daylight, further affecting the Arctic’s energy balance. Since snow reflects sunlight, the white snow surface helps deflect heat. However, the presence of trees, which are darker (green and brown), reduces the ground’s reflectivity and allows for more heat absorption, contributing to the region’s warming.
The researchers note that while carbon storage is important for the overall energy balance, in northern regions, the focus should be on how much sunlight is reflected back into space without being converted into heat (known as the albedo effect).
Additionally, regions surrounding the North Pole in North America, Asia, and Scandinavia are prone to natural disturbances—such as wildfires and droughts—that destroy vegetation.
They therefore call for a holistic view of ecosystems to identify truly significant nature-based solutions that do not jeopardize the overall goal of slowing climate change.
