Perspectives

Putting Science in Context: Strategic Reforestation for Climate Impact

Published: July 7, 2025

Does The World Need Another Reforestation Map?

Last month the Nature Conservancy and other leading institutions published a new study in the journal Nature Communications with a deeper look at where reforestation can have the highest climate impact. Senior Reforestation Scientist, Susan Cook-Patton, and Forest Spatial Data Scientist, Kurt Fensenmeyer, joined the 1t.org US Community Collaborative to present findings from the study.

The effort they’ve led provides clarity on where forest restoration efforts can have the greatest impact for climate. By incorporating the latest science about forest restoration and approaching the calculations conservatively, the study authors have right-sized the estimated reforestation opportunity around the world and created a new mapping tool to help policymakers and practitioners access valuable data on where reforested areas can have the greatest impact.

Key Findings from the Study:

• These new global maps identify up to 195 million hectares of available land for reforestation (which is 71-92% smaller than previous estimates).

• The greatest reductions from previous estimates are found in ecosystems that naturally support lower tree densities (such as grasslands, savannas, and some wetlands) which have been excluded from this analysis.

•The maps highlight areas that are the least likely to involve trade-offs between reforestation and other priorities like wildlife habitat, food production, and freshwater availability.

The Need for Prioritization

Reforestation remains one of the most cost-effective ways to remove harmful emissions from the atmosphere. But with finite funds and resources, and only a few years to reach our most critical climate tipping points, we must prioritize reforesting places with the greatest benefits and fewest downsides. Of course, tree-planting alone is not a sole solution; it must be done in conjunction with industrial decarbonization to make a meaningful impact on climate change.

A More Focused Map for Global Reforestation

The study shows how reforestation opportunities change depending on the parameters being considered. For example, the area available for reforestation is dramatically smaller if you focus on places where land rights are clearly defined through land tenure, where people are less dependent on nature for food and fuel, or where local communities can influence decision-making. The biggest decreases from previous estimates of reforestation potential are in ecosystems that naturally support lower densities of trees (grasslands, savannas, and some wetlands) because they were excluded from this analysis.

In places like the U.S. and Canada there are a lot of existing reforestation analyses. This new global map is most useful in areas where finer-scale analyses aren’t available. The results of this map differ from the US Reforestation Hub, which includes US-specific spatial datasets to map reforestation opportunities and are therefore likely more useful for those interested in reforestation there.

Check out the tool and related articles and resources below. How has this map changed your thinking about reforestation?