What we put into the ground might not always be as helpful for biodiversity or the climate as we’d hoped. Indeed, planting a tree isn't the same as growing a tree. Growing a tree isn't the same as restoring a forest. Restoring local species isn’t the same as introducing drought-resistant trees that have grown thousands of kilometers away. Which isn’t the same as protecting forests in the first place.
For this cross-border investigation, the journalists dived into public data and interviewed scientists, political leaders, tree nurseries, planters, forestry experts. They investigated dozens of tree plantations in Belgium and France, unveiling the trees behind the numbers, and exploring the gaps between research, policies, and practices.
They found a wide range of motivations behind tree projects: carbon offsetting, science education, biodiversity support, wood production… These motivations are often not well understood from the public, opening the door to a more or less intentional instrumentalisation of those trees.
- Key findings:
'Helping biodiversity' was one of the trickiest concepts in this investigation. Depending on who uses the term, the implications can differ significantly. In ecological science, for instance, the concept relies on indicators and methods to measure actual improvement compared to an initial phase. Many tree planting projects claim to 'restore' or 'improve' biodiversity, but lack solid data to support these statements. - The production of trees is unthought of. But as any economic activity, it has impacts - from seed growing to water use, from plant protection products use to carbon-emitting exports. As it is the case in agriculture, different practices lead to different externalities.
- The landscape of tree planting is very complex, with many subcontractors and intermediaries. Motives and methods can thus greatly differ from one project to another. This complexity doesn’t show in the tree-planting feel-good discourse that is often used to publicize these projects. This makes it harder for the public to grasp what it can actually expect from the trees.
Photograph by Sébastien Van Malleghem
