REFORESTATION, DEFINITION

“Plant a tree, sow the future”

Reforestation refers to the action of planting trees in an area where the forest has been degraded, destroyed, or exploited, in order to restore the forest ecosystem. It is a forestry and environmental practice aimed at reestablishing tree cover, often for ecological, economic, or erosion protection purposes.

Main meaning: Reforestation is an operation of planting trees on lands that were once forested but have lost their forest cover due to factors such as deforestation (caused by agriculture, urbanization, fires, storms, or human exploitation). Unlike afforestation (which involves planting trees on non-forested lands such as meadows or agricultural lands), reforestation specifically targets formerly forested areas.

Objectives

Social

Protect local communities against natural disasters (floods, landslides) and promote jobs in forestry.

Environmental

Restoring biodiversity, improving air and water quality, combating climate change by sequestering carbon (through photosynthesis), and preventing soil erosion.

Economic

Economic: Producing wood for industry (paper, construction, energy), or developing ecotourism.

Climatic

Climate: Reforestation significantly helps mitigate climate change by enhancing the capture of carbon from the atmosphere through the photosynthesis of trees. It also helps stabilize local and global temperatures, reduce the greenhouse effect, and better withstand extreme events such as droughts or storms.