Several commenters pointed out that while planting a tree is helpful, keeping existing forests intact, not cutting trees down, is even more important!
They’re right, obviously. We need to save mature forests, preserving their biodiversity and resilience — because monoculture tree plantations are not forests.
Even inside a city, though, trees can make a big difference in so many ways...
@breadandcircuses I've taken to noticing how many places where people live contain only mature trees, usually surrounded by mown ground. These people obviously value the trees, yet they either don't understand or don't care that trees are mortal and their replacements need to be allowed to start if the place is to remain treed. It seems sometimes that the trees on city property or home lots are merely the final vestiges, tortured on their way out by assiduous destruction of the understory.
@breadandcircuses planting trees is stupid. Trees produce millions of seeds on their lifetime. If they have an environment that can support growth they will grow. It's like instead of taking care of babies, we just kept inseminating eggs. We are doing the thing the tree can do on its own while not doing the thing the trees rely on us to do.