The Biden administration has unveiled plans to plant more than 1 billion trees over millions of acres of national forests in an effort to address a reforestation backlog caused by wildfires and to fight climate change.
The strategy was unveiled by the Department of Agriculture on Monday with funds made available under President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and its Repairing Existing Public Land by Adding Necessary Trees Act, better known as the REPLANT Act, which were signed into being in November of last year.
The REPLANT Act provides the Forest Service with funds to plant more than 1 billion trees over the next decade and to address 4 million acres of reforestation needs on National Forest Services lands.
According to the Forest Services, a majority of the 4 million acres in need of reforestation were burned by wildfires over the past few years. However, the service said it has only been able to annually address 6% of post-wildfire planting needs, creating the backlog.
The Forest Services has said it sees the urgency to increase reforestation, with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stating Monday that forests “are a powerful tool in the fight against climate change.”
“Nurturing their natural regeneration and planting in areas with the most need is critical to mitigating the worst effects of climate change while also making those forests more resilient to the threats they face from catastrophic wildfire, historic drought, disease outbreaks and pest infestation,” he said.
Under the REPLANT Act, the Forest Service this year will invest more than $100 million in reforestation, representing a three-fold investment increase compared to previous years.
The reforestation strategy founded by the REPLANT Act will go toward expanding reforestation and nursery capacity, it said.
Non-profit conservation organization American Forests on Monday applauded the Biden administration’s plan, stating it will “harness the power of trees on our landscapes to make them more resilient.”
“These direly needed nursery investments are only a start, and we look forward to subsequent rounds of funding to help ramp up reforestation across America’s landscapes,” Brian Kittler, American Forests vice president of forest restoration, said in a statement.
The act permitted the increase by removing a $30 million annual cap on reforestation investments, and the Agriculture Department said Monday that it expects the federal government to “significantly” increase resources for planting needs every year.
The announcement follows Biden’s executive order signed in April to strengthen protections for forests and the Agriculture Department’s January unveiling of a 10-year strategy to confront the wildfire crisis.
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A billion trees is a lot of firewood. Especially for forest fires in drier areas of the country.
Maybe he can find a tree that can recycle used Battery acid and turn it into Ambrosia, often believed when consumed as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it.,,,,also known by Joe as scent of Kamala’s Hair Spray
Since they lack water as is, WHERE are they going to get the water needed, to FEED THESE new trees??
More proof that Biden hasn’t had an original thought his entire adult life – someone look up Trillion Tree Campaign. Also, are those stooges that are slashing and burning rainforests in Brazil and Indonesia planting trees to replace the ones they’re killing off? Lots more forests need to be rejuvenated in those two places!
Groves and groves of Hemlock is what Joe has in mind for any American who Keeps his Socratic Oath of “First do no Harm” when applied to teaching ““First listen. Observe. Prevent no learning.”
Following the science on climate change, Joe? You can plant 2 billion—you’re not going to change the climate one iota. You ain’t Mother Nature—and you’re certainly not God—and those are the only two things that have any control over the climate.
Bloomberg tried same thing in nyc; plant a million trees. Dinky little 5 ft evergreens, placed in park anywhere convenient and anywhere else, without regard for what the space was used for or tree’s survival. Before I complained, and put a stop to it, they planned to plant a half dozen all over the small hill kids for generations used for sleigh riding every winter. The grassy islands in the middle of the iconic Mosholu Pkwy in the Bx, a brilliantly planned roadway from the late 1800s connecting Van Cortlandt Park, the first public golf course in the US, Jerome Park where the Belmont Stakes were then run, to the famous Bronx Zoo and Botonical Gardens, had served as playgrounds for soccer, volleyball and more, as well as picnics and just relaxing for the apt dwellers, 99% Hispanic, black, or Muslim, that bordered each side of the pkwy. Then Bloomberg’s save the earth knuckleheads filled them with dozens of those little evergreens and that was that.
Idle hands are the devil’s workshp. When kids cannot gain recognition or feelings of worth and success through sports, crime is their next best alternative.
Joe , those bare areas in our forests are fire break areas to stop the spread of forest fires not new planting areas. Thinning of the underbrush used to be done don’t know if it is going on. Differently NOT in California.