Perhaps that not a single reference to the article is about measuring the benefits of forests. Therefore I am lead to believe that the benefits of current land use is not adequately valued, neither in dollar value, not carbon value.
Besides, the option should be putting solar in rooftops and above parking lots and above roads etc. Not taking pristine land for such a endeavour. That way we get the benefit of BOTH the solar farm and the forest, so almost 100% better.
You are reading too far. The example OP is pointing to is “Microsoft has the power to disrupt the government of a sovereign country. There needs to be an alternative” anything after that is an example of something like that happening. Whether you, as the reader, agree with that action in that particular circumstance depends highly on what side of which border it happened and on what side of which border the reader lives.