Can Forest Preservation and Tree Planting Backfire on Climate Goals?

Quick Summary

• Wildfires are turning forests into “massive carbon emitters,” according to a new U.N.-affiliated report by UNU-INWEH.
• Tree planting and forest preservation strategies, while aimed at mitigating carbon emissions, may unintentionally worsen wildfires and increase emissions due to insufficient consideration of changing forest conditions.
• The voluntary carbon market system funding these projects lacks proper regulation and often fails to account for wildfire risks adequately.
• recent major wildfires,such as those in Canada in 2023,emitted greenhouse gases exceeding the industrial emissions of any country except China and India.
• Planting trees can accelerate forest growth but also deplete soil moisture, increasing fire susceptibility under changing climate dynamics.
• Ancient data used for assessing wildfire risks is outdated; recent extreme fire incidents are often excluded from evaluations.
• Reforms in voluntary carbon markets are suggested to account for rainfall patterns, soil health, future heatwaves/droughts, and accumulated fuel load.

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