Today, real wild forests are being destroyed and replaced with neatly planted rows of pines or spruces. Such artificial monocultures are much poorer in biodiversity, vulnerable to pests, diseases, and climate changes. This is presented to us as reforestation instead of stopping the destruction of ancient forest ecosystems that have developed into complex biogeocenoses over thousands of years.
It is especially dangerous that uniform coniferous plantings can, under certain conditions, facilitate the rapid spread of forest fires. Fire enters them like a chimney, spreading along the rows instantly. Now imagine these rows surrounding still-living sections of real ancient forests. Moreover, these planted rows often lack the complex natural forest structure, diversity of tree species, undergrowth, and wet areas that can help contain the spread of fire.
Read more about this in my separate article: https://pavel-pashkov.com/articles/ru/reforestation
Meanwhile, government reports count the planted hectares, even though some seedlings die. In some cases, losses reach 90%. So, it’s just a profit-making sphere: they plant rows and leave satisfied, sincerely believing they have saved nature and compensated for the destruction of millennia-old forests.
My position is simple: we must stop destroying the last natural forests, place them under strict protection, and reconsider the reforestation system itself. Where possible, natural forest regeneration should be used, and when planting, the natural structure of ecosystems should be considered. All of this exists: both developments and technologies! It’s just not profitable for anyone.
We need full-fledged living forests, not industrial plantations that mask the destruction of wild nature.