Hmm, I thought trees remove carbon dioxide, not carbon. Trees love co2
Luckily, they expel oxygen as waste and evaporate the water they used. If we continue to spew more and more c02, fewer trees will lead to other climate problems -one way or the other. So, imo, we can't go wrong by planting more green stuff (i.e., anything that performs photosynthesis).
Afa water use, the US isn't all forest. The east coast and northwest have the most. The middle of the country is/was prairie, not forests. The southwest is arid. It's hard to plant trees where there's little water. Especially since the Colorado is at a low level; the Great Salt Lake is drying out; Lake Mead is at its lowest level. On top of that, it's been over 100 degrees and there's been a drought.
Otoh, the Antarctic is at its warmest, and it's winter there. The melted water has to go somewhere. So, some parts of the world are having record floods. Others are having fires, releasing more co2.
"A man is rich when he has time and freewill. How he chooses to invest both will determine the return on his investment."