Several modelling studies have indicated that the positive climate effects of CO2 uptake in boreal forest biomass will most likely be exceeded by the negative effects of lower albedo of forests relative to non-forested (especially snow-covered) fields, tundra etc (e.g., Betts 2000, Bala et al. Local cooling as a consequence of deforestation in higher latitudes has also been documented by observations (Lee et al. In an estimate of the climate effect of expanding deciduous forests in arctic regions, Swann et al. (