Comment on “The global tree restoration potential”
Abstract
| Potential carbon stocks, Bastin et al. (1) | Correction for soil carbon | Correction to avoid unintended consequences | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biome* | Canopy cover restoration area (Mha)* | Carbon density (tC/ha)* | Carbon density source* | Carbon gain (GtC)* | ΔC biomass (tC/ha)† | ΔSOC (tC/ha)† | Realistic ΔSOC (tC/ha) | Realistic ΔSOC source | SOC-corrected carbon gain (GtC)¶ | Biome-corrected carbon gain (GtC) | Detrimental effects of carbon-focused tree planting | |||
| Boreal forests/taiga | 178 | 239 | (8) | 42.6 | 85 | 154 | 0 | (16)‡ | 15.2 | 0 | ↓albedo (net warming) | |||
| Deserts and xeric shrublands | 78 | 202 | (7) | 15.7 | 28 | 174 | 5.1 | (9)§ | 2.6 | 0 | ↓provisioning of water, ↑fire intensity | |||
| Flooded grasslands and savannas | 9 | 202 | (7) | 1.8 | 28 | 174 | 12.4 | (17) | 0.4 | 0 | ↓biodiversity | |||
| Montane grasslands and shrublands | 19 | 202 | (7) | 3.9 | 28 | 174 | –3.3 | (18) | 0.5 | 0 | ↓biodiversity, ↓albedo (net warming) | |||
| Temperate grasslands | 73 | 155 | (8) | 11.2 | 81 | 74 | –3.3 | (18) | 5.6 | 0 | ↓biodiversity, ↓forage production, ↑fire severity | |||
| Tropical grasslands | 190 | 283 | (8) | 53.5 | 199 | 84 | 12.4 | (17) | 40.0 | 0 | ↓biodiversity, ↓provisioning of water, ↓forage production, ↑fire severity | |||
| Tundra | 51 | 202 | (7) | 10.2 | 28 | 174 | 0 | (19)‡ | 1.4 | 0 | ↓albedo (net warming) | |||
| Mangroves | 3 | 283 | (8) | 0.7 | 199 | 84 | 198 | (20) | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||||
| Mediterranean forests | 19 | 202 | (7) | 3.8 | 28 | 174 | 0 | (21)‡ | 0.5 | 0.5 | ↑fire intensity# | |||
| Temperate broadleaf | 109 | 155 | (8) | 16.9 | 81 | 74 | –3.3 | (18) | 8.4 | 8.4 | ||||
| Temperate conifer forests | 36 | 155 | (8) | 5.6 | 81 | 74 | –3.3 | (18) | 2.8 | 2.8 | ↑fire intensity and severity, ↓albedo# | |||
| Tropical coniferous forests | 7 | 283 | (8) | 2.0 | 199 | 84 | 12.4 | (17) | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||||
| Tropical dry broadleaf forests | 33 | 283 | (8) | 9.3 | 199 | 84 | 12.4 | (17) | 6.9 | 6.9 | ||||
| Tropical moist broadleaf forests | 97 | 283 | (8) | 27.4 | 199 | 84 | 12.4 | (17) | 20.5 | 20.5 | ||||
| Total | 900 | 205 | 107 | 42 | ||||||||||
*From materials and methods and table S2 of Bastin et al. (1): Carbon gain = canopy cover restoration area × carbon density.
†Portion of carbon density attributable to biomass and soil, from the same sources used by Bastin et al. [i.e., (7, 8)].
‡Studies that report no statistically significant change in SOC.
§Mean of two sites with annual precipitation < 300 mm.
¶SOC-corrected carbon gain = canopy cover restoration area × (ΔC biomass + realistic ΔSOC).
#Strength of effects depends on ecological context, but effects are not universal enough to exclude the biome.
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18 October 2019
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