International Day of Forests is a global celebration of forests. This year’s theme highlights the key role played by forests in creating sustainable cities. To celebrate this occasion, UNECE and FAO gathered eminent speakers at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to showcase new approaches to urban farming, the integration of trees in buildings, wood construction and architecture.

Speaking at the opening session of the International Day of Forests event in Geneva, co-organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and FAO, Ms Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Director of FAO Geneva addressed the intertwining relationships between forestry and food security.  Ms Rodrigues-Birkett highlighted the importance of urban (climate-smart) forestry and agriculture in tackling climate change and food insecurity. With rapid growth in urbanization around the world, there is a need to look for solutions that involve doing more with less, including looking upwards where only the sky is the limit.  She added, “Commemorating the International Day of Forests provides a unique opportunity to bring attention and raise awareness on the links between people, forests and food security. However, awareness must be coupled with concrete actions for resilient and sustainable communities, cities, nations and the world as a whole”. 

In her opening remarks, Olga Algayerova, Executive secretary of the UNECE highlighted that “Forests provide the solution to many of the sustainability problems that we will face in an urbanized world”. The event featured eminent speakers in a series of presentations moderated by Paola Deda, chief of the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section.

The discussion demonstrated that technology and ingenuity have no limits when creating sustainable and green cities. H.E. Ambassador Foo Kok Jwee, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the UN in Geneva, emphasised the importance of vertical farming as it “optimises land use in land-scarce Singapore and can operate on minimal manpower”.

Arch. Maria Chiara Pastore of Stefano Boeri Architetti, famous for creating the vertical forests model for sustainable residential buildings embodied by Milan’s Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), emphasized how its vegetal system contributes to the construction of a microclimate, produces humidity, absorbs CO2 and dust particles and produces oxygen. This is not only instrumental in curbing climate change but also utilizes accessible building materials for large-scale construction projects. Compared to concrete, steel, cement and glass, wood requires less energy to produce and stores – rather than emits - carbon.

Dr Michael Ramage, Director of the Centre for Natural Material Innovation at the University of Cambridge, instrumental in the design of the “The Toothpick” (a wooden skyscraper set to become the second tallest building in London), discussed “super-tall timber”. He explained how wood construction involves cross-laminated timber, a material made of many sheets of wood glued and compressed together, is stronger than steel and a viable candidate for building skyscrapers.

One large tree can also absorb 150kg of carbon dioxide a year and thereby act as a carbon sink to help mitigate climate change and lower cities’ carbon footprint. With 1.9 billion hectares, corresponding to more than 40 per cent of the total global forest area, the UNECE region has more forests than any other region of the world. With growing urbanization, forests are instrumental; and when it comes to creating sustainable cities - technology and ingenuity have no limits.