Warning: I keep hearing 'just plant more trees' as a fix for everything

Some folks think that's the whole solution, but my friend who works in forestry said it's way more about what kind of trees and where you plant them, otherwise you can mess up local water systems. Has anyone else seen a local project that got this right or wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery_murray1mo ago

Okay but come on... how bad can it really be? Trees are trees, right? They're better than concrete. That Austin story sounds like a one-off mess. Most places just need more green stuff, and worrying too much about the perfect tree seems like overthinking it. People act like a few wrong plants will break the whole town's water.

diana201mo ago

Yeah, that story from @jamesfox sounds so familiar. Our neighborhood group did a planting and we worked with the county extension office first. They told us exactly which native oaks and pines would work with our soil and not suck up all the water. It made a huge difference.

jamesfox1mo ago

There was a project near Austin that planted a ton of fast growing eucalyptus to try and capture carbon quick. It totally drained the creek nearby because those trees are thirsty. They had to go back and remove them all. It shows how just putting trees in the ground without planning can backfire big time. My understanding is you really need native species that fit the local water balance.