We’re going to need a lot more trees

In the last line of this story a senior meteorologist explains that we can’t form rain clouds because there is no moisture in the soil due to lack of trees. If you look at a satellite map of Thailand, the borders are clearly defined by lack of trees, while our neighbours still have some. Why do we show such contempt for trees? They provide shade, which keeps you cool. They make oxygen, which is pretty important. They hold moisture in the soil and allow shade-plants to grow. They prevent the soil being baked as hard as concrete.
A German guy in Papua New Guinea bought a huge tract, cleared it and replanted with native species, surrounded by a thick bamboo guard. When it grew in, it created its own rain. It changed the weather patterns. I’ve seen permaculture experts grow in the saltiest arid soil around the Dead Sea – as the plants matured, the soil was cleansed of salt.
Thailand needs massive reforestation, but then what would the farmers do? They would plant it and manage it. A food forest is self-sustaining when done properly. It doesn’t require pesticide and gives back to the soil instead of punishing it with scorching heat and chemicals. Thailand could be a garden of bounty if allowed.
Karl Stanford