The physical risks of reforestation as a strategy to offset global climate change

Abstract

Assessment of physical risks is important with respect to costs and carbon yields from tree planting. Plantation losses were estimated for the Southern U.S. Commercial timber harvests are the principal cause of losses. Excluding harvesting losses, the annual survival rate is 98.4 percent. Wildfire, insects, and inclement weather are not major factors; diseases are the leading cause of mortality, but affect only a small number of plantations.

Key words:

• Global climate change
• carbon sinks
• tree planting
• tree plantation survival
• risks