Response to Comment on "The global tree restoration potential".

Area of Science:

• Environmental science
• Ecology
• Climate change research

Background:

• Quantifying global tree restoration potential is crucial for climate change mitigation.
• Estimating carbon storage capacity informs conservation and restoration strategies.
• Recent critiques have questioned findings on restoration potential and timelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the global potential for tree restoration.
• To assess the associated carbon storage capacity under current climate conditions.
• To address and clarify misunderstandings in recent critiques regarding time limitations.

Main Methods:

• Global-scale assessment of land available for tree restoration.
• Modeling of carbon sequestration potential based on established ecological principles.
• Comparative analysis of findings against external critiques.

Main Results:

• Significant global tree restoration potential identified.
• Substantial associated carbon storage capacity quantified.
• Critiques based on time-limited projections were found to misinterpret the study's scope.

Conclusions:

• Global tree restoration is a viable strategy for carbon sequestration.
• The study's findings on potential and carbon storage remain robust.
• Clarification provided on the non-time-limited nature of the assessment.