The Forest Service intends to work through a backlog of 4.1 million acres
of replanting.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to plant more than one billion
trees over the next ten years to help restore millions of acres of burned
and damaged forests throughout the American West.
In recent years, wildfires and other problems have decimated U.S. woods,
and forest service arborists are unable to keep up with the replacement of
destroyed trees. Only 6% of the land devastated by fires, pests, and severe
weather events has been replanted, leaving a backlog of 4.1 million
acres.
The REPLANT Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law have increased
government funds and resources, and the Forest Service of the USDA intends
to close the financial gap. The federal agency will need to enhance its
nursery's ability to produce four times as many seedlings, recruit more
workers, and find and gather more seeds in order to do this.
In a statement introducing the effort this week, Tom Vilsack, the U.S.
agriculture secretary, stated that "forests are a strong instrument in the
battle against climate change." The best way to mitigate the worst effects
of climate change and increase the resilience of those forests to the risks
they face is to nurture their natural regeneration and plant in regions with
the greatest need.
The federal government is concentrating on restoring trees on public lands
because forests, among other things, filter and store water, trap carbon,
supply food and timber to Indigenous people, and generate more than $11
billion in economic activity via outdoor recreation. Areas that have been
burned by wildfires are more vulnerable to other potentially devastating
issues including mudslides, floods, and landslides when left bare.
The Forest Service will progressively increase its reforestation
operations. About 60,000 acres of trees were replaced by staff members last
year. That amount will rise to around 400,000 acres every year during the
following few years. Spending on reforestation will increase as well, from
around $100 million this year to as much as $260 million.
According to the Forest Service's reforestation strategy plan, "Achieving
this vision of creating and maintaining healthy forests for tomorrow needs
action now."
According to the Forest Service, wildfires are the primary cause of forest
degradation and account for 80% of replanting as of 2021. This year, flames
have already consumed 5.6 million acres in the United States, which is more
than twice as much as the same period in 2021 and more than three times as
much as the same period in 2020.
The severity and frequency of wildfires are predicted to rise due to
climate change, according to researchers.
But in addition to these issues, forests are also battling drought,
invasive species, insect infestations, floods, illnesses, and extreme
weather. Conservation specialists warned that the Forest Service will need
to be strategic with its replanting efforts since those circumstances, which
are made worse by climate change, may be particularly difficult on young
trees.
Joe Fargione, scientific director for North America at the Nature
Conservancy, advises Matthew Brown of the Associated Press, "You've got to
be clever about where you plant." There are certain locations where the
climate has already shifted to the point where it is unlikely that trees
would successfully rebuild there.
Tags:
news