Afforestation

Globally, forest cover continues to decline as a result of high deforestation rates (13 million hectares [ha]/year), primarily as a result of agricultural expansion in the tropics. At a national and regional level, however, afforestation and reforestation have led to an increase in forest and tree cover in some areas, often despite continued rapid economic and population growth. Such forest resurgence, particularly in Europe and China, lowered the global net forest loss to 7.3 million ha/year between 2000 and 2005. Afforestation refers to the planting of trees in areas that have not been forested in the last 50 years. This includes afforestation of native grassland and shrubland as well as of pasture and croplands that may have been deforested over a half century ago. Afforestation ...