Holl and Zahawi (2018) agree on a number of approaches that we describe in a local case study of tropical montane cloud forest restoration in Mexico. However, they contend our argument that most applied nucleation projects have taken place in tropical lowlands as a mistake. They also provide data on the per‐hectare cost of restoration projects in Costa Rica and compare it to a higher cost figure of plantation‐style reforestation, a view contrary to ours. Last, Holl and Zahawi recognize that applied nucleation requires specialized personnel, but imply that the amount of training needed for this endeavor is not very different than what is required to implement other forest recovery projects. In this counter‐response, we provide some refinements to our original opinion and offer further information in support to our perspective.

Mexico has increased its efforts to recover forests in recent decades. Our paper addresses the problem of a net fall in the production of trees in official nurseries and the decline in the overall diversity of tree species produced to supply official federal programs. These reductions contrast with increases in the annual expenditures devoted to this endeavor reported for the last five years. We close our commentary with alternatives to reverse this trend. Our analysis can be of help in the oversight of country-level forest recovery programs.