Once, This Island Had Just One Tree—Look at It Now | National Geographic

In the middle of the Atlantic, the tallest peak of a small volcanic island is covered in lush greenery, by design. When scientists talk about terraforming a landscape, there’s a good chance they’re talking about Mars. (To terraform a place is to make it earthlike—for instance, bringing in plants and animals.) But the first scientific experiment in terraforming actually took place starting in the 19th century.