‘Trillion Trees’ Plan Is Risky Climate Strategy, Scientists Say (1)

Forests, highly vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, are a risky bet for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, according to research published Thursday in the journal Science.

That’s because any cap-and-trade program or tree-planting effort that relies on forests to slow the snowballing effects of climate change must consider how wildfire, drought, shifting climate zones and other factors will affect trees’ ability to store carbon, the study says.

The only way for forests to work as part of a climate strategy, it says, is if they’re able to grow old and store carbon dioxide in their trunks, roots, and soil ...