When trees make rain: Could restoring forests help ease drought in Australia?

If you've ever walked in a rainforest or even a greenhouse, you'll know that the air inside is heavy with moisture.

There is growing evidence that forests, in the right
conditions, not only make rain locally but kilometres away.

This phenomenon is caused by trees releasing water vapour through pores in their leaves called stomata.

We also know that many big forests, and rainforests in particular, tend to get more rain than surrounding areas — hence the name.

Although people have guessed that forests could help make rain, it's always been a chicken-or-egg scenario: do forests make rain or do areas with high rainfall grow forests?

An expanding body of evidence supports the idea that forests, in the right conditions, not only make rain locally but also hundreds of kilometres away.

Read the story by Nick Kilvert from ABC News - “When trees make rain: Could restoring forests help ease drought in Australia?”