Reply #5: More tree use more water.. [View All]

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http://www.rti.org/newsroom/news.cfm?nav=502&objectid=FF7764E1-A6F3-4EDE-A9B2E97D1EFFBED4

Here's some research I found that didn't really like the idea of planting more trees to combat global warming..

"Much is known about the great potential for forests to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thereby reduce the risk of climate change," said Brian Murray, Ph.D., director of RTI's Center for Regulatory Economics and Policy Research and one of the report's authors. "Previous work with my colleagues at RTI, Subhrendu Pattanayak and Tim Bondelid, has shown that there can be some 'co-benefits' in water quality from converting agricultural lands to forests as nutrient loadings are reduced; however, the Duke study shows that there could also be substantial water quantity losses from afforestation that are important to consider when devising strategies for addressing climate change and other environmental problems."

The study also found that leaf and needle fall from plantation trees adds acidity and salinity to the area's soil. Plantation soils were more acidic in 98 of 114 cases studied.

"Although carbon sequestration has potential benefits and can reduce the atmosphere's carbon dioxide levels in the short-term, the environmental changes that it triggers will need to be examined much more carefully to determine how wise a strategy this is for addressing climate change," Murray said.