Forests are having their moment. Because trees can vacuum carbon from the atmosphere and lock it away in wood, governments and businesses are embracing efforts to fight climate change by reforesting cleared areas and planting trees on a massive scale. But scientists have warned that the enthusiasm and money flowing to forest-based climate solutions threaten to outpace the science. Two papers published this week seek to put such efforts on a firmer footing. One study quantifies how much carbon might be absorbed globally by allowing forests cleared for farming or other purposes to regrow. The other calculates how much carbon could be sequestered by forests in the United States if they were fully "stocked" with newly planted trees. Each strategy has promise, the studies suggest, but also faces perils.

森林正在其时刻。因为树木可以从大气中抽走碳并将其锁定在木材中，所以各国政府和企业正在拥抱通过对砍伐面积进行重新造林和大规模种植树木来应对气候变化的努力。但是科学家警告说，对基于森林的气候解决方案的热情和金钱可能会超过科学。本周发表的两篇论文试图使这种努力更加牢固。一项研究通过允许为耕种或其他目的而砍伐的森林再生来量化全球可能吸收的碳量。另一个计算出如果美国森林完全“放养”有新种植的树木，那么它们可以封存多少碳。研究表明，每种策略都有希望，但也面临着危险。