There are many benefits to reforestation, so the following list is surely incomplete.

	Stabilizing slopes — When you hear of mudslides, usually they are due to slopes being denuded of all trees. Grasses are not capable of anchoring the soil. When it rains hard, the topsoil loses its friction with the subsoil, and mudslides and floods occur that can claim lives (as in Haiti during the hurricanes of 2004).
	Buffering water — Forests act like huge water reservoirs, preventing flash floods from occurring. Also, because of the storage capacity of the forest, it keeps water in the streams, even during the dry season.
	Habitat — Bringing back diverse tropical rain forest plant life around the streams creates biological corridors that allow monkeys and other wildlife to move between natural jungle areas that are now cut off to these animals by farms and towns. Reforesting can also restore certain tree species crucial to endangered birds.
	Carbon sequestering — Trees store carbon, and as long as they are not burned or allowed to rot, the wood will lock up carbon, helping to slow global warming. This is so important that some countries actually pay to have countries like Costa Rica grow trees.
	Lumber — There are many trees that are becoming rare that can be preserved through reforestation. Mahogany is one example. By growing it on plantations, we can preserve this beautiful wood for future generations. Also, growing commercially valuable wood on plantations provides a way to harvest these trees without destroying rain forest.
	Jobs — The biggest threat to tropical rain forests is the need for good-paying jobs for people who do not have many skills that are valuable in industry or other sectors. Creating plantations can generate employment that helps break the cycle of clear-cutting forest to grow cattle or crops for market.
	Income — Reforestation projects that are well-run provide a good source of income for those who invest in them and can provide a living inheritance for the next generation.
	Residency — The Costa Rican government gives incentives to those who participate in reforestation, including the right to apply for residency in Costa Rica based oninvesting a certain amount in a qualified reforestation project.