+ Decades from now 2007 just might be remembered as the year trees started to fight back. French Guiana cordoned off some five million acres (two million hectares) of Amazon jungle; Colombia followed suit with 240,000 acres (97,125 hectares) of virgin selva; and not to be outdone, Borneo preserved a huge chunk of its old, old growth. Indeed, of the 50 most heavily timbered nations, a full third transitioned from forest loss to gain.

+ Even the Bush Administration got on board: Investors can now offset their footprints through the Carbon Capital Fund, and Smokey Bear will do the planting.

+ That kind of annuity should give guys like Francis Tapon—who thru-hiked some 2,800 miles (4,506 kilometers) on the nearly completed Continental Divide Trail (only to turn around and hike back)—more room to roam, both above and below tree line.

+ Or tell it to Karl Bushby, who saw no shortage of fall foliage while trekking across Siberia this autumn on his 14-year, 36,000-mile (57,936-kilometer) quest to become the first person to walk around the globe.

+ Even the concrete jungle is sprouting new growth: As part of his ambitious PlaNYC program Mayor Michael Bloomberg has promised to plant a million saplings in Gotham by 2017.