Trees combat climate change
In March 2025 Russell Parton published an article ( link ) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences claiming: "Tree planting is still the best way to remove carbon, despite climate and economic risks, say researchers". Part of the economic impact comes from reducing the amount of land for crops, but reducing cropland is not the only option. The author notes that "a 'portfolio' approach to tree planting—diversifying species and planting locations—helps balance risks and moves beyond planting strategies that simply hope that everything will be okay." An important alternative to reducing farmland could be reducing the area cemerted over for highways and for parking spaces. Parton suggests that a balanced approach involving trees is "a far more cost-effective strategy for carbon removal than alternatives like biomass energy with carbon capture and storage or direct air capture technologies." Children's book author Liz Pichon writes ...