The forestry or afforestation it is the process by which new forests are created in areas where there are no trees. The growth of forests allows the CO2 found in the atmosphere to be naturally removed, since it is retained in the trees.
In the last 50 years the afforestation of vacant land has become a common practice in many areas of the world. However, it is not a new technique: there are areas of China in which the forestry of arid or semi-arid areas dates back to 300 BC..
Currently afforestation practices are highly dependent on policies and socio-economic conditions in different countries. In the United Kingdom there were programs for large-scale afforestation during the 20th century, seeking to reduce the import of wood. In Brazil, Chile, New Zealand and other similar countries, afforestation is encouraged to expand the resources in the forests.
The term reforestation should not be confused with afforestation or forestry. Reforestation refers to the process of planting new trees in existing forests, but experiencing a decrease in the number of plants. Meanwhile, afforestation has to do with the creation of new forests.
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Countries use three different types of forestry activities or afforestation processes: natural regeneration, commercial plantations, and the agroforestry system..
Natural regeneration has to do with the planting of native trees in an attempt to rebuild an area to resemble a natural forest. This type of afforestation tends to be richer in carbon because it contains more types of plants, with different heights and occupying different spaces..
These characteristics allow the forests created by natural regeneration to better capture the sun's rays and produce a better photosynthesis process..
Commercial plantations are carried out for the generation of products, such as wood, so that the new forests are profitable without affecting existing resources.
In addition, when harvested wood is used for construction, most of the carbon is preserved and contributes to mitigating climate change. On the contrary, if wood is used as fuel, carbon levels increase and the atmosphere is affected..
Finally, there is agroforestry, which is the planting of agricultural sites to produce crops. The amount of carbon removed by this type of afforestation depends on the crop chosen, although the carbon stocks removed are not comparable to those of natural forests. In tropical areas, the trees planted can be mangoes, avocados or cashews..
The main motivation for nations to bet on large-scale afforestation in their arid zones is to combat desertification or the degradation of fertile soils in deserts. Desertification inhibits agricultural activity and increases the chances of sudden floods.
In addition, it is necessary that forestry activities exist so that global warming does not worsen, and thus try to reduce the impact of climate change.
Some scientists regard afforestation as the best practice for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Planting new trees serves to capture CO2 in a simpler way than using other options.
With afforestation, CO2 is captured directly from the air to be subsequently stored underground. It then becomes a natural solution against increasing carbon dioxide levels..
These natural techniques can even generate collateral benefits for the ecosystem. For example, new forests can serve as habitats for fauna in the area..
Afforestation must be managed with care, however. It can modify local biodiversity and introduce species that are not native and that can be invasive in certain environments..
Over the years, many people have expressed that afforestation could be a costly and unwieldy activity for most nations, in addition to occupying large tracts of land..
Some regions are still fighting deforestation. Between 1993 and 2002 the presence of plants worldwide decreased, largely due to the deforestation of tropical forests in Brazil and Indonesia.
Since 2003, the global forest situation has been improving. Deforestation has been significantly reduced, especially in Brazil and Indonesia. Better conditions have also been experienced for the forests of Australia and southern Africa.
Afforestation programs have been introduced in China and the European Union since 1990, even paying farmers to convert fields into forests. In China there is the program known as the Great Green Wall, which aims to plant about 400 million hectares of forest by the year 2050.
The forestry activity in Mexico is of recent appearance. In 1986 the forestry law was created, which annulled the forestry concessions. Already in 2018 the general law of sustainable forestry development appeared. In this law, it regulates and promotes the integral and sustainable administration of the country's forest areas..
72% of the Mexican territory is destined to the different forest uses. This country has several forest ecosystems, among which the temperate climate forests and jungles stand out..
22 million hectares are forest, but only a third is used. More than 11 million hectares of empty areas can be used for commercial forestry according to the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR).
Two bodies regulate forest policy in Argentina. Forest plantations depend on the Forest Production Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. The Directorate of Forests of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development is in charge of managing forests.
Afforestation is carried out in two types of forests in Argentina: native and implanted. The State encourages afforestation with financial aid. Misiones, Corrientes, Entre Ríos and Buenos Aires are the areas with the largest forest area.
In Colombia, the importation of wood is greater than the country's production. Creating new plantations would level trade and improve employment figures.
Some studies show that Colombia has the right conditions on its land for a forestry activity that occupies 13 million hectares. However, Colombia is one of the countries with the greatest deforestation problems.
Afforestation has not been promoted at a sufficient level in the country, nor has the development of the forestry industry. They have had the Forest Incentive Certificate (CIF) since 1994, which responds to an economic contribution from the Government, but afforestation has not been carried out even in half of the expected hectares.
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