Afforestation could be defined as the planting of trees where there was previously none .Degradation of forests leads to a decrease in oxygen and increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In order to make up for the loss, we plant more trees. As a result, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could decrease.
According to scientific research, Plantation forest could absorb more carbon dioxide than natural forest since they grow faster leading to a higher absorbance rate. The process is usually encouraged by our National and county governments because they want it to lead to a decrease in carbon dioxide and because it increases the aesthetics of the area, safe guard natural resources ensure sustainability of social economic activities of local communities.
Benefits of Afforestation
- Control global warming
Forests with adequate vegetation cover will have natural amount of regeneration to maintain required above ground tree biomass density. Greater the above ground tree biomass density, the greater the amount of Carbon (C) that the forest is able to sequester and storage. A degraded forest therefore is unable to store greater amounts of Carbon (C), thus adding to Climate Change.
The most efficient and cost-effective way to combat Carbon (C) emissions caused by deforestation is through sustainable forest management practices, afforestation, reforestation, and forest conservation; take together these practices may provide Carbon (C) emissions reductions of up to 25% which will effectively curb climate change .This will sustain the local communities economic activities in the long run.
According to survey forests hold roughly 471 billion tons of the total carbon emissions in our world. by reducing deforestation, would result in reduction of the 1.1 billion tons which are released from it to the atmosphere every year.