Nature, 2nd prize
Jackie Ranken
01 October, 2002
Australia is a dry continent, in which water is precious and topsoil fragile. Deforestation and land clearance have led to soil erosion and problems with soil salinity. Deforested areas are being replanted with pine, one of the few trees that will grow in these denuded areas. Some environmentalists would prefer the use of native eucalyptus, as they recover better from fire and don't make the soil acidic. But pine trees grow faster, and if planted in rows more than five deep can offer farmers an economic payoff.
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