Chris Meder
@EVCurveFuturist
China's Great Green Wall—66 billion trees planted since 1978 to hold back the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts. A 2026 study finds these planted forests grow leaf area 66% faster than nearby natural forests—even after accounting for age and conditions, they outperform by ~4.6%. Younger forests likely respond more strongly to rising CO₂.
But there's a catch: this measures leaf area, not carbon storage. The advantage peaks at 30–40 years, then fades.
Planted forests aren't "better." They restore degraded land and slow desertification. But ancient forests store carbon for centuries and support richer biodiversity.
The lesson isn't plant or protect. It's plant and protect. 🌳🌍
Johnnie.A.Lot.of.Numbers
@JonnyCapitalist
Climate change is also bringing more heat and moisture further north in China..those land used to be quite barren and cold with the arctic wind sweeping in from Siberia..in any case, leaves are like naturally grown solar panels+carbon storage, one of nature’s greatest design..
Aquaman on Fire
@tom_bond
Do you have a link to the study?
Edfu Books.
@Edessagospels
They can only grow there, because of extra CO2.
CO2 allows plants to grow in arid conditions.
Hooray for extra CO2.
Análisis
- El post analiza el "Gran Muro Verde" de China, que ha plantado 66 mil millones de árboles desde 1978, y cita un estudio de 2026 que muestra un crecimiento 66% más rápido en área foliar comparado con bosques naturales, atribuible en parte al efecto fertilizante del CO₂.
- Aunque los bosques plantados ayudan a restaurar tierras degradadas y combatir la desertificación, el estudio enfatiza que miden área foliar y no almacenamiento de carbono a largo plazo, donde los bosques antiguos tienen ventajas en biodiversidad y secuestro prolongado.
- La conclusión del autor es que la estrategia óptima combina plantar nuevos bosques con proteger los existentes, promoviendo tanto la restauración activa como la conservación para maximizar beneficios ambientales.