The Social Contexts for Forest Expansions: A Review

ABSTRACT Regional contexts appear to have shaped reforestation processes in six distinctive ways around the world. Two have predominated in wealthy regions and have entailed the spontaneous regeneration of relatively biodiverse secondary forests on former agricultural lands. Another one, featuring planted forests, has occurred close to cities in both the Global North and the Global South. Three additional reforestation dynamics involving smallholders and planted trees in the Global South have had their origins in episodes of imperialism and efforts at agricultural development. Attention to these contextual dynamics in reforestation processes would strengthen reforestation programs and, in so doing, increase their capacity to curb climate change through carbon sequestration.