03.10.2017

Perpetuating the myth of the return of native forests.

Van Holt, T. and F.E. Putz. 2017. Perpetuating the myth of the return of native forests. Science Advances Vol. 3, no. 5, e1601768. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601768

Journal Article

Abstract: Viña et al. imply that native forests account for China’s marked increase in tree cover and that tree plantations play a minimal role. All 71 tweets linked to the article reinforce the idea that China’s native forests are returning, whereas a review of theirmethodology indicates that it is not likely accurate. Referring news articles (n = 19) were dominated by terms associated with native forests, whereas tree plantations were rarely mentioned.

Citation: Van Holt, T. and F.E. Putz. 2017. Perpetuating the myth of the return of native forests.. Science Advances Vol. 3, no. 5, e1601768. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601768

Keywords: tree cover, forest cover, forest recovery, tree plantations