A century of reforestation helped keep the eastern US cool (2024)
136 points by softwaredoug
by imoverclocked
1 subcomments
Anecdata: I have a plot of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains and half of it has redwood coverage and the other half is sparsely covered by much smaller species. On hot days I can go to the redwood half and get an easy 10F temperature drop.
Shade is part of the equation and so is retaining water. Once I was introduced to the idea of check dams and their role in water conservation, I started noticing how the redwoods often build their own on hilly terrain.
The landscape in a forest can be quite complex and rich.
by Arubis
2 subcomments
I recall a factoid from growing up in southern New England: that Connecticut had more forestland in my youth than it had a hundred years earlier, because so much agricultural land had been abandoned to nature. Presumably farmers wanted soil without an annual stone harvest.
by metalman
0 subcomment
bit more north and east here in Nova Scotia, but this summer broke all records for heat and dryness, in the south facing slope in the back padock at my place the ground dryed so much that it started to open up cracks, months of no rain, forest fires, land use bans with 25k$ fines
the plus sides are the most glorious fall display of the leaves turning coulors, ever, and many of the critters have had very high survival rates for there little ones
by user3939382
1 subcomments
Apparently earthworms are a problem here. The saplings need the brush to protect them and the worms which are non native are mulching it. IIRC. If half of what I hear is happening in the Canadian forests or Amazon is true it’s sickening. Of course you have the naive and confused among us who debate or defend this abhorrent and unnecessary exploitation.
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