Proforestation is the practice of protecting existing natural forests to foster continuous growth, carbon accumulation, and structural complexity. It is recognized as an important forest based strategy for addressing the global crises in climate and biodiversity. Forest restoration can be a strategy for climate change mitigation. Proforestation complements other forest-based solutions like afforestation, reforestation and improved forest management.
Allowing proforestation in some secondary forests will increase their accumulated carbon and biodiversity over time. Strategies for proforestation include rewilding, such as reintroducing apex predators and keystone species as, for example, predators keep the population of herbivores in check (which reduce the biomass of vegetation). Another strategy is establishing wildlife corridors connecting isolated protected areas.
Proforestation refers specifically to enabling continuous forest growth uninterrupted by active management or timber harvesting, a term coined by scientists William Moomaw, Susan Masino, and Edward Faison.
Proforestation is a natural climate solution that addresses climate mitigation and adaptation by prioritizing natural processes and regeneration in existing forests to optimize cumulative carbon and ecological complexity.
Proforestation seeks to strengthen and sustain complexity and carbon accumulation in forest ecosystems. As ecologist Ed Faison states, "forests provide these services incredibly well when left alone; in fact over time unmanipulated forests develop the greatest complexity and accumulated carbon storage and therefore serve as models for "ecological forestry" techniques.
Proforestation differs from agroforestry or the cultivation of forest plantations, the latter consisting of similarly aged trees of just one or two species. Plantations can be an efficient source of wood but often come at the expense of natural forests and cultivate little habitat for biodiversity, such as dead and fallen trees or understory plants.
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Forest restoration is defined as “actions to re-instate ecological processes, which accelerate recovery of forest structure, ecological functioning and biodiversity levels towards those typical of climax forest” i.e. the end-stage of natural forest succession. Climax forests are relatively stable ecosystems that have developed the maximum biomass, structural complexity and species diversity that are possible within the limits imposed by climate and soil and without continued disturbance from humans (more explanation here).
vignette|Du sorgho pousse sous des Faidherbia albida et des borasses, près de Banfora au Burkina Faso. vignette|Graminées sous chênes. vignette|Graminées et herbacées sous oliviers séculaires. vignette|Semis de millet et agroforesterie intra-parcellaire à Marçon dans la Sarthe, en France. L’agroforesterie est un mode d’exploitation des terres agricoles associant des arbres et des cultures ou de l'élevage afin d'obtenir des produits ou services utiles à l'homme.
L'afforestation ou boisement est une plantation d'arbres ayant pour but d'établir un état boisé sur une surface longtemps restée dépourvue d'arbre, ou n'ayant éventuellement jamais (aux échelles humaines de temps) appartenu à l'aire forestière. Elle se distingue du reboisement ou de la reforestation qui sont réalisés par l'homme sur une surface déboisée par lui. Sur de petites surfaces destinées à produire des fruits et légumes (forêt-jardin, elle peut s'inspirer des principes de la foresterie analogue, une méthode visant notamment à imiter les processus naturels de succession forestière).