News

Shining a light on the future of land stewardship and the importance of youth on Desertification and Drought Day.

News

New initiative to encourage greater use of products made from sustainably grown wood as a key strategy for combating climate change

Forests cover 31 percent of the world's land and are fundamental to life on our planet.

Home to more than half of the world’s land animal and plant species, forests are a direct source of food, income and shelter for millions of people, and provide energy for heating and cooking for 2.6 billion. Forests are key to mitigating climate change, absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, storing more than half the global carbon stock in soils and vegetation and regulating rainfall. If sustainably managed, forests are also a source of renewable raw materials, helping to build an economy which allows nature to regenerate.

Through its Forestry Programme, FAO seeks to restore forests, improve the lives of forest-dependent people, and support countries to manage their forests in a sustainable way. FAO’s work is fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, creating more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Highlights

News

05/11/2024
FAO today launched an updated guide to implementation of phytosanitary standards in forestry, including good practices for forest health protection to help reduce the human-facilitated spread of forest pests and their impacts.
8th Mediterranean Forest Week
04/11/2024
New approaches and strengthened collaboration on restoration are needed to ensure that the Mediterranean’s forest ecosystems thrive, experts from the region will hear this week as they gather for the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week in Barcelona. 
FAO Green Cities Initiative
01/11/2024
Funded by Italy, the USD 3 million Green Cities Initiative in Action for Africa project will work with 10 cities across Algeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda.
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Forestry at FAO

The Forestry Division leads FAO’s work in promoting the sustainable management of forests and balancing economic, social and environmental interests in landscapes surrounding them. It liaises with member countries, partners, civil society and the private sector to encourage more effective policies for management and to strengthen the role of forests in reducing the effects of climate change and helping humanity to adapt to them.

The Division also collects, analyses and shares information on the world’s forest resources and the production, trade and consumption of wood and non-wood forest products. The Committee on Forestry and six regional forestry commissions guide FAO in its technical forestry work.

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Events

Eight Mediterranean Forest Week (8MFW) - Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona (Spain)

Eighth Mediterranean Forest Week
04/11/2024 - 08/11/2024

The 25th Session of the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions - Silva Mediterranea will be held in conjunction with the Eight Mediterranean...

Hybrid Event, Baku (Azerbaijan)

UN Climate Change Conference 2024 COP29
11/11/2024 - 22/11/2024

The Conference is a landmark event in the global effort to combat climate change and ensure food security for present and future generations.

Hybrid Event, Baku (Azerbaijan)

Collaborative Partnership on Forests Sustainable Forest-based Bioeconomy Day at COP29
20/11/2024

Supporting a sustainable forest-based bioeconomy by strengthening collaboration on sustainable wood-based value chains, encouraging greater use of long-lived...