Global wood production remains at record levels. FAO: Forests are threatened by climate change and growing demand for wood Climate and Environment
Due to climate change, forests around the world are increasingly threatened by risks such as wildfires and pests. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warns about this. The report, released Monday, emphasizes the role of innovation in forest conservation.
The State of the World’s Forests 2024 was launched at the 27th session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO), which opened today at FAO headquarters in Rome.
Forest fires
The intensity and frequency of forest fires are increasing, including in areas not previously affected by this problem, FAO experts note. Moreover, in 2023, as a result of this phenomenon, about 6,687 megatons of carbon dioxide were released worldwide.
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According to the report, the largest Some forests are located in the tropics, followed by boreal, temperate and subtropical zones. More than half (54 percent) of the world’s forests are found in just five countries (in descending order by area): the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America, and China.
Boreal wildfires—or taiga fires—previously accounted for 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Such fires reached new highs in 2021, largely due to prolonged drought, and accounted for nearly a quarter of total wildfire emissions.
Forest Health
Climate change is also making forests more vulnerable to invasive species, with insects, pests and pathogens threatening tree growth and survival.
Yet nearly six billion people rely on forest resources, particularly , most of the world’s poor people use forests for food, medicine, income and other purposes.
Meanwhile, global wood production remains at record levels. After a brief decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, production has returned to around four billion cubic meters per year. Global demand for roundwood is projected to increase by 49 percent between 2020 and 2050.
In 2022, global trade fell sharply (by 17 percent) to 119 million cubic meters, of which 37 percent was imported into China. Half of the global decline is due to timber export restrictions imposed by the Russian Federation, the report says.
Innovative solutions
B The report identifies five types of innovation that can help solve global problems in the forest sector: technological, social, political, institutional and financial.
For example, artificial intelligence can facilitate automated data analysis collected daily by drones, satellites and space stations.
As innovation can exacerbate inequalities, the report argues for inclusive and gender-sensitive approaches to ensure equitable distribution of benefits among men, women and youth in all socio-economic and ethnic groups. Promoting innovation must take into account local conditions, perspectives, knowledge, needs and rights of all stakeholders, FAO notes.
The report lists five enabling measures that will help increase innovation for forests : Raising awareness, developing innovative skills, capabilities and knowledge, encouraging transformational partnerships, ensuring greater and more accessible funding for innovation, and creating an enabling policy and regulatory environment.