Should We Plant or Protect? The short answer is: both. However, it is good to understand that, in terms extracting climate-changing carbon dioxide from the air, protecting existing mature forests is more effective than planting small seedlings. It will take decades for a seedling equal the carbon storage of a mature conifer. Unfortunately we don’t have decades to head off the disasterous effects of climate change. This video by our friends in Napa County says it better than I can:Watch their video