What is reforestation?

Reforestation specifically refers to the process of restoring trees to areas that have previously experienced deforestation or loss of forest cover. This involves planting new trees in ecosystems where forests have been depleted, typically with the goal of ecology restoration, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity enhancement. Reforestation helps mitigate the effects of climate change, restores natural habitat for wildlife, and can improve local soil quality and water cycles.

This understanding of reforestation highlights its significance in environmental conservation efforts aimed at replenishing forested areas. Other options presented in the question provide different concepts related to land use and forestry but do not accurately describe reforestation. For instance, planting trees in barren land does not inherently involve restoring a previous ecosystem, while cutting down trees selectively does not contribute to reforestation and changing forests into agricultural land clearly moves in the opposite direction of reforesting efforts.