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TheDoctorAtReddit t1_j83l486 wrote

Great, but we need decades of protecting the Amazon before we can see anything similar to “Reforestation”

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iammonkeyorsomething t1_j84uh94 wrote

We can only go one step at a time in that direction, let's be real

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TheDoctorAtReddit t1_j85em5i wrote

Being real is precisely my point. We can plant a billion seeds today; those seeds becoming trees that suck up enough CO2 from the atmosphere to make a difference needs at least 10 years.

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enzovrlrd t1_j8556zj wrote

Not really; the forest can recover pretty quickly if we just leave it be. My mom did an internship monitoring tree development in recovering areas and the description of the mutations of the forest, regardless of deforestation, are very interesting. If you leave a plain field just beside a tropical forest alone for 2 years you will barely recognize the line showing the difference; it's one of the reasons tropical forests survive. They need their own recycling process of organic mass to compensate the poor soil, consequence of the very frequent raining that washes down whatever it finds. It's a balanced environment, another reason we shouldn't interfere

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TheDoctorAtReddit t1_j85f3i9 wrote

Yes, the forest recovers pretty quickly if we let him be, but the forest that was devastated in 10 seconds took centuries to get there. A tree needs at least 10 years of growth to become “adult”. So yeah, a couple years is a long time but let’s not neglect the fact that what was destroyed was the result of centuries of the forest just being.

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