Members of the research team

Planting trees is a popular way to mitigate climate change, but in northern and Arctic regions, it may not be an effective solution. A recent study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, found that tree planting in northern boreal and Arctic regions is not only ineffective at mitigating climate change, but may actually cause net warming. …Climate change mitigation solutions are particularly important for the Arctic, where climate change has been happening three to four times faster than the global average. …Jeppe Kristensen nd his colleagues found that in northern boreal and Arctic regions, where the ground is snow-covered for much of the year, planting trees creates shade and prevents snow from reflecting sunlight. The resulting warming will counteract any carbon storage that trees provide. …The study also suggests that planting trees could disturb carbon stored in the soil and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.