International Day of Forests

The International Day of Forests has been observed on 21 March since 1972 at the initiative of the 23rd session of the European Confederation of Agriculture, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in order to emphasize the importance of forests for life on Earth and to call on everyone to protect them.

The theme of the International Day of Forests is different every year – in 2022 it is “The role of forests in ensuring sustainable production and consumption”.

Biotope trees – important for biodiversity

The forest is one of the main ecosystems on Earth that maintains the biological balance of the planet. The forest ecosystem encompasses the entire aggregate of forest organisms (trees, shrubs, grasses, fungi, bacteria, animals, including humans), together with their natural environment (air, water, soils, organic matter and rocks), which interact with each other within a given territory. It provides a home and shelter for animal species, regulates winds and precipitation, protects soils from erosion, and purifies the air.

Did you know that… forests cover 30% of the Earth’s land surface, and the taiga, which encompasses a large part of Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia, is considered the largest forest in the world.