After managing a coastal restoration project for five years, I've concluded that planting trees is often a feel-good distraction from the real work of protecting wetlands and mangroves. Communities love a tree-planting event, but a single storm surge can wipe out years of effort, while a healthy salt marsh absorbs carbon up to 40 times faster per hectare than a forest—yet it's nearly impossible to get funding for muddy restoration. We keep funding what people can see and celebrate, not what actually works for climate resilience. Shouldn't we start redirecting conservation money toward the less glamorous but more effective ecosystems?