March 21
International Day of Forests
The theme of the 2022 International Day of Forests is
“Forests and Sustainable Production and Consumption”
This theme is intended to call for the choice of sustainable wood for people and the earth, and to help people understand how sustainable production and consumption of forest resources can help us rebalance the use of natural resources, improve resource utilization, slow environmental degradation, and create a sustainable lifestyle for us and future generations.
UN Secretary-General Guterres said in his message:
“Healthy forests are vital to humanity and the planet. They are natural filters, provide clean air and water, and protect biodiversity. Forests influence rainfall patterns, cool urban areas, and absorb a third of greenhouse gas emissions, helping us regulate the climate. They provide livelihoods, medicines, food and shelter for many communities and indigenous peoples.”
“World Forest Day”, also translated as “World Forestry Day”, “World Forest Day”. In 1971, at the Tenerife Conference of the European Agricultural Union, the initiative was proposed by Spain and unanimously adopted. In November of the same year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) officially confirmed it.
The United Nations General Assembly resolution declared March 21st of each year as the International Day of Forests, and commemorative activities have been held since 2013.
The purpose of establishing March 21st as the International Day of Forests is to make a useful contribution to raising awareness at all levels to strengthen the sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for present and future generations.
Currently, 30.6% of the world’s land surface is covered by forests, the vast majority of which are natural forests, covering an area of about 4 billion hectares, providing a home for two-thirds of the world’s terrestrial wildlife.To this day, 300 million people still live in forests and 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods.Trees hold up the sky. If the forests disappear, the sky at the top of the world will collapse, and nature and humans will die together.”With the development of human beings, from early agricultural cultivation to the rapid increase in the consumption of wood and forest products in modern times, the global forest area has been drastically reduced, the quality of forests has been declining, and the ecological environment has gradually deteriorated. The birth of “World Forest Day” marks people’s awareness of forest issues.Feel the breath of the forest, embrace the lungs of the earth, and protect the green protector of mankind. The primeval forest is full of mystery, and many of them are not well known to us. It hides too many unknowns, which touches the hearts of many explorers and attracts them to explore: the world’s top ten primeval forests.
01 Tarkine, Australia
This is the second largest temperate rainforest in the world and home to the 3,000-year-old Huon cypress, the second oldest tree in the world. Less than 5% of these trees are properly protected, and the forest is threatened by mining and logging. In the rivers of Tarkine Forest on Tasmania, you can catch freshwater crayfish the size of lobsters. In Tarkine, an isolated primeval forest, you can get a glimpse of ancient creatures on Earth 300 million years ago.
02 Araucaria Forest, Chile
Araucaria is a Chilean cedar tree that can be up to 1,000 years old. It is said that 180 million years ago, in order to avoid herbivorous dinosaurs, it gradually developed this unique upside-down paintbrush shape. These trees that survived the Jurassic era have national treasure status in Chile. The forests in the middle of Chile’s Conguilio National Park and Tolhuacaca National Park are the most magnificent.
03 Yakushima Forest, Japan
Yakushima is an alpine island ecosystem, a feature that is very rare in areas around 30 degrees north latitude. It contains a unique remnant of warm temperate primary forests that have been greatly reduced elsewhere in the region. These forests extend from the coast to the central peaks. This feature is of great significance to the scientific study of evolutionary biology, biogeography, vegetation succession, the interaction of lowland and highland systems, hydrology, and warm temperate ecosystem processes.
04 California Bristlecone Pine Ancient Forest
The Bristlecone Pine Ancient Forest is located in the rugged White Mountains of California, and hidden in one of the mountains of this forest is a dead trunk of a bristlecone pine twisted by wind.
Bristlecone pines are more like vacation homes in Middle-earth than any real tree, but these groves are considered the oldest trees in existence on Earth. However, the oldest tree is called Methuselah, which is estimated to be 4,841 years old.
05 Daintree Rainforest, Australia
The Daintree Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforests on Earth, with the largest number of plant and animal species on Earth. It is home to 30% of Australia’s total frog, reptile and marsupial species, 90% of bat and butterfly species, and 7% of birds. There are more than 12,000 species of insects in the rainforest, and all of these species are contained in an area that accounts for only 0.2% of Australia’s total land area. The Daintree Rainforest is adjacent to another wonder, the Great Barrier Reef. There are many mountains, waterfalls, streams, and pastures in the forest, and the rainforest landscape is rich.
06 Bialowieza Forest, Poland, Belarus
The Belovezhsky Nature Reserve and the Bialowieza Forest are located 70 kilometers north of Brest, straddling the border between Belarus and Poland. The Belovezh Nature Reserve (Bialowieza Forest) covers an area of 53.1 square kilometers. It is located on the border between Poland and Belarus. It is the watershed between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. It consists of evergreen trees and broad-leaved forests. It is the habitat of some rare animals, including rare mammals such as wolves, lynxes, and otters. The Belovezh Nature Reserve (Bialowieza Forest) is one of the only remaining primary forests in Europe.
07 Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon
For the past 55 million years, the Amazon has been deeply rooted in the land of northern South America. Logging, deforestation, burning for farming, and development have destroyed most of this primary forest, but there are still some ancient parts that have not been destroyed.
Mainly in the state of Acre in western Brazil and the provinces of Madre de Dios and Ucayali in eastern Peru, these dense forests are still inhabited by tribes that do not interact with each other, and have not changed for thousands of years.
08 Waipoasan, New Zealand
Before the Maori arrived in the 12th century, New Zealand’s North Island was undisturbed by humans and filled with towering kauri trees. The giant trees there are more than 50 meters tall, making pedestrians feel extremely small. Two precious trees rule the forest: the 2,000-year-old Forest Father and Forest King Kauri trees. The Forest King, named after the Maori forest god, is 51 meters tall and about 1,200 years old. However, because these beautiful trees are threatened by Kauri tip necrosis, you must clean your shoes when entering and leaving the forest.
09 Baobab Forests, Madagascar and South Africa
Baobab trees have been here before the Cro-Magnons came, and they are actually trees from Africa. No one knows how old these trees are because there are no growth rings on their trunks, but according to carbon dating, the trees are between 1,000 and 6,000 years old. Baobabs are found in 31 African countries, but Madagascar has the most species (six of a total of nine).
Each tree plays a dual role, serving as a habitat for the island’s unique and endangered wildlife: lemurs, civets, aye-aye monkeys, and more.
10 Tongass National Forest, Alaska
The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States, covering 6.8 million hectares across an island-rich sea and a long coast that covers 73 percent of Alaska’s Inside Passage. The Tongass National Forest includes 19 nature reserves, the Admiralty Islands National Monument, and the Misty Fjords National Scenic Area. The forest contains the Cottonfield Howe Glacier, as well as several other glaciers. About 5% of southeast Alaska’s land is owned by indigenous tribes or the state, while another 12.5% is Glacier Bay National Park and Game Reserve. The remaining 6.7 million hectares are all Tongass National Forest.