Justin Wright, along with collaborator Jason Fridley of Syracuse University, has published a study of various factors affecting the re-growth of forests in cleared fields ("Temperature Accelerates the Rate Fields Become Forests," Jason Fridley and Justin Wright. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 16, 2018). The researchers found that temperature was most responsible for the faster growth of young trees in more southerly sites. As the forest regrows, it absorbs more carbon dioxide than meadowlands do. This means that as the climate warms, abandoned land will transition faster to forest and so sequester more carbon.  Not enough to offset human emissions of carbon dioxide, but something to care about.  Good work!