More people live in cities than ever before and by 2050, 6 billion people or as much as 70% of the global population is expected to live in urban areas.
But rapid urbanization does not need to result in polluted urban sprawl. Trees and urban forests can make our cities greener, healthier and happier places to live by cooling the air, filtering out harmful pollutants and mitigating the effects of climate change. 

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012. The Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns. The theme for each International Day of Forests is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests. The theme for 2018 is Forests and Sustainable Cities.

https://youtu.be/ucXz3EqzRLo

Check out the special events taking place at FAO HQ:

Special event at FAO Headquarters (will be webcast): http://intranet.fao.org/fao_communications/noticeboard/detail/c/58068/

Link to webcast for external use: http://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/4631/icode/

Learn more about the international Day of forests at http://www.fao.org/international-day-of-forests/en/

Learn about the Forest Challenge Badge http://bit.ly/2oVIUG6

Learn about the Youth guide to Forests http://bit.ly/2G1XCUb