The EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) is critical for the restoration of degraded ecosystems and active afforestation of degraded peatlands has been suggested as a restoration measure under the NRL. Here, we discuss the current state of scientific evidence on the climate mitigation effects of peatlands under forestry. Afforestation of drained peatlands without restoring their hydrology does not fully restore ecosystem functions. Evidence on long-term climate benefits is lacking and it is unclear whether CO₂ sequestration of forest on drained peatland can offset the carbon loss from the peat over the long-term. While afforestation may offer short-term gains in certain cases, it compromises the sustainability of peatland carbon storage. Thus, active afforestation of drained peatlands is not a viable option for climate mitigation under the EU Nature Restoration Law and might even impede future rewetting/restoration efforts. Instead, restoring hydrological conditions through rewetting is crucial for effective peatland restoration.

欧盟自然恢复法 (NRL) 对于恢复退化的生态系统至关重要，并且已建议将退化泥炭地的积极植树造林作为 NRL 下的恢复措施。在这里，我们讨论林业下泥炭地减缓气候变化影响的科学证据的现状。在不恢复水文的情况下在排水泥炭地上造林并不能完全恢复生态系统功能。缺乏长期气候效益的证据，并且尚不清楚排干泥炭地上森林的 CO ₂封存是否可以长期抵消泥炭的碳损失。虽然植树造林在某些情况下可能会带来短期收益，但它会损害泥炭地碳储存的可持续性。因此，根据欧盟自然恢复法，在排水泥炭地积极植树造林并不是缓解气候变化的可行选择，甚至可能阻碍未来的再润湿/恢复工作。相反，通过再润湿恢复水文条件对于泥炭地的有效恢复至关重要。