Moomaw WR, Masino SA and Faison EK (2019). Intact forests in the United States: Proforestation mitigates climate change and serves the greatest good. Front. For. Glob. Change 2:27

Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00027/full

Summary: Letting forests grow towards their natural capacity to store carbon is one of the most cost effective climate solutions that also generates a wide array of co-benefits in the form of valuable ecosystem services.

Key excerpts:

  • “Proforestation is a climate smart strategy that involves letting existing forests grow to their ecological potential in terms of carbon storage and other ecosystem services.”
  • “Proforestation provides the most effective solution to dual global crises—climate change and biodiversity loss. It is the only practical, rapid, economical, and effective means for atmospheric carbon dioxide removal among the multiple options that have been proposed because it removes more atmospheric carbon dioxide in the immediate future and continues to sequester it long-term.”
  • “Practicing proforestation should be emphasized on suitable public lands as is now done in U.S. National Parks and Monuments.”