Trees, woodland and forest


Forests cover one third of the earth's land mass, performing vital functions and services around the world which make our planet alive with possibilities. In fact, 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods. They play a key role in our battle against climate change, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere while storing carbon dioxide.

Forests feed our rivers and are essential to supplying the water for nearly 50% of our largest cities. They create and maintain soil fertility and they help to regulate the often devastating impact of storms, floods and fires.

Splendid and inspiring, forests are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land, and are home to more than half of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.

Forests also provide shelter, jobs, security and cultural relevance for forest-dependent populations. They are the green lungs of the earth, vital to the survival of people everywhere - all seven billion of us.

Forests embody so much of what is good and strong in our lives. Yet despite all of these priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits, we are destroying the very forests we need to live and breathe.

Global deforestation continues at an alarming rate - every year 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed. That's equal to the size of Portugal.

Short-term investments for immediate gains (i.e. logging) compound these losses. People who depend on forests for their livelihoods are struggling to survive. Many precious species face extinction. Biodiversity is being obliterated. What's more, economists around the world have proven that by not integrating the values of forests into their budgets, countries and businesses are paying a high price. One that ultimately impoverishes us all as harm to our forest life-support system continues each and every single day.

But this trend is not irreversible. It's not too late to transform life as we know it into a greener future where forests are at the heart of our sustainable development and green economies.

Conserving forests and expanding them need to be recognized as a business opportunity. When we add it up, an investment of US$30 billion fighting deforestation and degradation could provide a return of US$2.5 trillion in new products and services.

Furthermore, targeted investments in forestry could generate up to 10 million new jobs around the world. Already, many leaders are glimpsing the potential for renewable energy and nature-based assets, but for transformation to happen, forests need to become a universal political priority.

The services forests provide are essential to every aspect of our quality of life and individual action can result in exponential impact, so do your part! [1]

What communities can do

  • tree planting and Reforestation initiatives
  • Community orchards
  • Community woodlands
  • Nature trails incorporating trees, woodland or forest

Reforestation

Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation. Reforestation can be used to improve the quality of human life by soaking up pollution and dust from the air, rebuild natural habitats and ecosystems, mitigate global warming since forests facilitate biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and harvest for resources, particularly timber.

The term reforestation is similar to afforestation, the process of restoring and recreating areas of woodlands or forests that may have existed long ago but were deforested or otherwise removed at some point in the past. Sometimes the term re-afforestation is used to distinguish between the original forest cover and the later re-growth of forest to an area. Special tools, e.g. tree planting bar, are used to make planting of trees easier and faster. W

Resources

Citizens data initiative

Worldwide, some 60 million indigenous people are almost completely reliant on forest resources for their livelihoods - for food and fuel, medicines and materials. [2]

Between 1990 and 2005 the rate of deforestation averaged 13 million hectares, mostly in the Tropics. [3]

Greenhouse gas emissions with felling, slash and burn agriculture and other deforestation effects, account for around 17 per cent or more of global emissions-the second largest source after the energy sector. [4]

Maps

Treepedia

Networks

  • 1t.org, platform to help with "the conservation and restoration of one trillion trees within this decade."

Other resources

Forests and health

Research

Center for International Forestry Research conducts research on the use and management of forests in less-developed countries. W

World Agroforestry Centre, international institute headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and founded in 1978. The Centre specializes in the sustainable management, protection and regulation of tropical rainforest and natural reserves. It is one of 15 agricultural research centres which makes up the global network known as the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research). The Centre conducts research in agroforestry, in partnership with national agricultural research systems with a view to developing more sustainable and productive land use. The focus of its research is countries/regions in the developing world, particular in the tropics of Central and South America, Southeast Asia and parts of central Africa. W

Video

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News and comment

2020

  • Amazon deforestation surges to 12-year high under Bolsonaro, Nov 30 [5] ...Brazil
  • The "Generation Restoration" responds with brilliant projects to plant one trillion trees across the planet [6] Nov 5

With social media and academics, Thai villagers save ancestral forest. [7] Sep 29

They stopped a toxic relief road. So why not use that energy to establish a forest commons? An empowering tale from North Yorkshire [8] Jul 29 ...Yorkshire and the Humber

'Sweet City': the Costa Rica suburb that gave citizenship to bees, plants and trees [9] Apr 29

Planting 1 trillion trees might not actually be a good idea. [10] Jan 31

2019

Amazon rainforest 'close to irreversible tipping point'. [11] Oct 23 ...Brazil

Indonesia haze causes sky to turn blood red. [12] Sep 23

World 'losing battle against deforestation'. [13] Sep 12

Amazon deforestation accelerating towards unrecoverable 'tipping point'. [14] Jul 25 ...Brazil

Is there a zebra in your community woodland? [15] Apr 24 ...Trees, woodland and forest UK

Norway Is The First Country In The World To Ban Deforestation, More Countries Need To Follow Suit. [16] Apr 5

2018

We need to bring back the wildwoods of Britain to fight climate change, Isabella Tree. [17] Nov 26 ...Trees, woodland and forest UK

2,000 new trees for San Francisco - and less carbon in the air, too, Apr 19 [18]

Paris Plans a Suburban Forest Five Times the Size of Central Park, Feb 14 [19]

A eureka moment for the planet: we’re finally planting trees again, Feb 13, John Vidal [20]

2017

100m trees to be planted till 2021 under Green Pakistan’s initiative, Dec 3 [21]

New Zealand Government to Plant 100 Million Trees Yearly, Oct 24 [22]

Regreening the planet could cut as much carbon as halting oil use, Oct 17 [23]

India plants 66 million trees in 12 hours as part of record-breaking environmental campaign, Jul 3 [24]

China constructs first Forest City to fight air pollution, Jun 26 [25]

#50MillionTrees: how young people are fighting deforestation in Tanzania, Jun 5 [26]

Stressed street trees: mapping the urban forests to save them – and us, Mar 27 [27] ...Melbourne

Meet the teen planting 150 trees for every person on Earth, Mar 11 [28]

National Community Conservation Resilience Initiative workshops held in Africa, Feb 22 [29]

Indonesian president hands over management of forests to indigenous people, Feb 20 [30]

2016

Mapping Urban Trees in 11 Cities, Dec 30 [31]

Collect Earth: Google and FAO launch new forest tool, Nov 11 [32]

NASA scientist is using drones to plant 1 billion trees per year, May 24 [33]

2015

The world's 3 trillion trees, mapped, September 16 [34]

New map reveals ‘astronomical’ scale of human impact on forests, September 2 [35]

2014

New online tool tracks tree loss in 'near real time', February 21 [36]

Events

Campaigns

  • Greenpeace petition, save the Great Northern Forest
  • The Trillion Tree Campaign is a project announced at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos which aims to plant one trillion trees worldwide by the end of the decade. It is looking to repopulate the world's trees and combat climate change as a nature-based solution.
The campaign is a continuation of the activities of the earlier Billion Tree Campaign, instigated by Wangari Maathai, who founded the Green Belt Movement in Africa in 1977. W

See also

  • Wikipedia:
Forests W, Reforestation W, Sustainable forest management W, List of forests W, Rainforest W, List of trees W, Forests Now Declaration W, United Nations Billion Tree Campaign W, Deforestation W

Greenlivingpedia:

Green carbon
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  • Archangel Ancient Tree Archive
  • Rights and Resources Initiative, non-governmental organization working to encourage forest tenure and policy reforms and the transformation of the forest economy so that business reflects local development agendas and supports local livelihoods. RRI works at the country, regional and global levels, collaborating on research, advocacy and convening strategic actors. W
  • Forests, information from United Nations Environment Programme
  • Rainforest Action Network, environmental organization based in San Francisco, California, USA. W
  • Rainforest Portal
  • UN Forum on Forests
  • Trees for Cities W
  • Trees for the Future, Maryland-based nonprofit organization founded in 1989 that helps communities around the world plant trees. Through seed distribution, agroforestry training, and in-country technical assistance, it has empowered rural groups to restore tree cover to their lands, protect the environment and help to preserve traditional livelihoods and cultures for generations. W


References

  1. ↑ unep.org, 22 February 2011
  2. ↑ Source: FOEI's The Tyranny of Free Trade: wasted natural wealth and lost livelihoods, December 2005, www.foei.org/publications/index.html, link not found, August 2015
  3. ↑ Source: UNEP, September 2008
  4. ↑ Source: UNEP, September 2008
  5. ↑ The Guardian
  6. ↑ thealternative.org.uk
  7. ↑ news.trust.org
  8. ↑ thealternative.org.uk
  9. ↑ theguardian.com
  10. ↑ theverge.com
  11. ↑ The Guardian
  12. ↑ BBC News
  13. ↑ BBC News
  14. ↑ The Guardian
  15. ↑ Shared Assets
  16. ↑ intelligentliving.co
  17. ↑ The Guardian
  18. ↑ sfchronicle.com
  19. ↑ citylab.com
  20. ↑ The Guardian
  21. ↑ @epakistantoday
  22. ↑ ecowatch.com
  23. ↑ The Guardian
  24. ↑ independent.co.uk
  25. ↑ vanguarddaily.com
  26. ↑ The Guardian
  27. ↑ The Guardian
  28. ↑ inhabitat.com
  29. ↑ globalforestcoalition.org
  30. ↑ Center for International Forestry Research
  31. ↑ nextcity.org
  32. ↑ @ecobusinesscom
  33. ↑ globalcitizen.org
  34. ↑ The Washington Post
  35. ↑ carbonbrief.org
  36. ↑ BBC News
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