A new study reveals that not all varieties of trees can be effective in fighting global warming; in fact, some tree varieties could even lead to global warming, mainenewsonline reports
The study was published in the journal Science.
Since 1750, the region under forests has grown by 10 percent in Europe. Despite the increase in the number of trees, the summer temperature in Europe has increased by 0.12 degree Celsius.
The research team at Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement in France that led the current study noted, "Two and a half centuries of forest management in Europe have not cooled the climate."
According to the new research paper, certain varieties of trees could lead to global warming in certain regions in Europe, just as dark green conifers in many regions across Europe have increased global warming.
Therefore, planting the right varieties of trees is important to deal with global warming, even though planting trees in itself helps in dealing with climate change and saves the environment from pollution.
Dr Kim Naudts at the Laboratory of Climate Science and Environment in Gif-sur-Yvette, France led the study.
Dr. Naudts added, "Even well managed forests today store less carbon than their natural counterparts in 1750. Our results indicate that in large parts of Europe, a tree planting programme would offset the emissions but it would not cool the planet, especially not if the afforestation is done with conifers."
The research paper added, "Two and a half centuries of forest management in Europe have not cooled the climate. The political imperative to mitigate climate change through afforestation and forest management therefore risks failure, unless it is recognized that not all forestry contributes to climate change mitigation."
The research paper noted that dark colored conifers like pines and spruces have increased in number globally. These trees trap more of solar heat due to their dark color. On the other hand, light-colored, broad-leafed like oak or birches reflect sunlight and can help in our flight against global warming.
A BBC report said, "The greater use of fossil fuels, particularly coal, slowed the timber rush, and from 1850 to the present day, Europe's forests grew by some 386,000 sq km and now cover 10% more land than before the industrial revolution. Choosing conifers over broadleaved varieties also had significant impacts on the albedo - the amount of solar radiation reflected back into space."
The researchers calculated that the increase in temperature caused by the trees is equal to 6 percent of the global warming attributed to the burning of fossil fuels.
