Ten golden rules for reforestation

Tree planting is becoming an important part of climate change mitigation strategies. However, a team of international scientists point out that the wrong trees in the wrong places can do more harm than good. They propose “10 golden rules” to guide tree planting. These include protecting existing forests first, involving local communities at all stages, picking the right sites to replant, using appropriate seed stocks and a diversity of plants, supporting natural regeneration, and using plants to develop new sustainable income streams (such as tourism or carbon credits).