Deserts

[Caius]

Just a dumb question, is it possible to transform deserts into forests?

[LittleGrizzly]

Well people have gardens out in desert areas, i think its possible but not self sustaining ?

[Caius]

Lets think if it wasn't a garden, it was the Sahara desert.

(Not intended to go against you, just trying to go to my point)

[Papewaio]

With enough water anything is possible.

Plenty of mining communities in Aus that have townships full of trees where there once was just desert.

The reverse is true too. Chop down enough trees and you can create a desert.

[LittleGrizzly]

Lets think if it wasn't a garden, it was the Sahara desert.

Thats kind of what i meant, it was desert, and then people made gardens...

[Ironside]

Humans tend to cheat and up the soil quality, making the forest grow faster (otherwise you would only get trees that can grow in sand for the first decades atleast). That is if you provide enough water of course. :book:

[King Jan III Sobieski]

The Sahara was a grassland/forest at one time, wasn't it? Granted, that was several tens of thousands of years ago...a few years before my time.........:egypt::egypt:

[rasoforos]

Yes it is done. Both as small scale and large scale projects:


http://www.iht.com/slideshows/2007/02/11/africa/web.0211niger.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertification#Countering_desertification


If I may change focus from fact to fiction I would suggest you read the Dune series of books by Frank Herbert. Dune is a desert planet with absolutely no open water. Over thousands of years it is turned into a green planet and then into desert again.