International Day of Forests 2022

In 2012 FAO gave a signal of awareness and recognition of the value of the world's forest heritage with the proclamation of 21 March as International Day of Forests at the United Nations General Assembly .

The goal of the day is to encourage nations to undertake local, national, and international commitments in organizing activities involving forests and trees, such as campaigns for new plants and management of existing ones. Specifically, the theme for the 2022 edition is " Sustainable forests, production and consumption ".

FAO reports some of the cornerstones from which it is essential to start and on which to reflect and act in order to make the most of the world's forest resources from a sustainability perspective.

The forest sector generates jobs for at least 33 million people, and forest products are used by billions of people. Since forests are essential for the health of the planet and for human well-being, it is essential to implement a sustainable management of them so as to move towards an economy based on renewable, reusable and recyclable materials.

The use of wood and forest-based products , a specific theme of this year's edition, contributes to the reduction of CO ₂ emissions by society, thanks also to increasingly innovative and cutting-edge technologies that facilitate the obtaining of functional and sustainable textiles, food, building materials, cosmetics, bio-plastics, medicines, from the renewable source of the forest.

But forests are also a resource to be protected and managed sensibly . Since 1990, 420 million hectares of forest have been cleared - an area larger than India - and about 8 million hectares continue to be cleared every year, especially to help expand agricultural land.

Thus, the certification of sustainable forest management proves to be a valuable and effective tool in helping to preserve forest resources while guaranteeing their use by civil society, which by choosing wood products from legal and sustainable sources can help make a difference. (Source: Luca Rossi, https://www.pefc.it/ )