Trees curb the effects of global warming

Scientists have seen how trees curb the effects of global warming

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A zone has appeared in the United States that has surprisingly remained unaffected by global warming. A new study found that the main cause of this anomaly was extensive reforestation in much of the eastern part of the country.

Since the beginning of US colonial history, there has been a boom in deforestation for agriculture and housing development, but since about the 1920s years, the situation began to change as more and more people moved to cities. The U.S. government then launched an aggressive tree planting program that has reforested some 15 million hectares of the eastern U.S. in the last century.

Forest restoration in the eastern U.S. has mitigated global warming, largely through tree transpiration. , in which water is absorbed by the roots, rises to the leaves and evaporates into the atmosphere, slightly cooling the environment.

By examining data from satellites and weather stations in the eastern United States from 1900 to 2000, scientists found that restored forested areas had an impact on significant cooling effect over large areas, with most of the effect occurring within 400 meters of trees.