With a world population projected to reach close to 10 billion people in 2050, needs for food, fuel, fibre and other bio-based products will rise sharply. The consumption of primary processed wood products is expected to increase by 37 percent by 2050. At the same time, climate change, ecosystem degradation and their impacts call for deep changes in our global production patterns. Societies are moving towards decarbonization of their economies and restoration of their environment – with global pledges amounting to 350 million hectares to be restored by 2030.

Planted forests have a prominent role to play as a critical nature-based solution in the transition towards carbon-neutral economies, sustainable landscapes and better livelihoods. While today, they represent an estimated 290 million ha, which is a mere 7 percent of the global forest area, their surface is continuously expanding, but not necessarily at the rate we need. Planted forests harbour an untapped potential to fulfill future needs in wood products, provide opportunities for substituting fossil fuel based and greenhouse gas-intensive products with renewable forest-based products, and restore degraded landscapes.

This special event will share experiences and current trends in planted forests and discuss the challenges, opportunities and best practices to enable their expansion as an essential nature-based solution to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy, sustainable landscapes and livelihood opportunities.

Objectives

• Enhancing knowledge on planted forests to enable global restoration action to meet both environmental and socioeconomic needs;
• Raising awareness on the new mandate of the International Commission on Poplars and Other Fast Growing Trees Sustaining People and the Environment (IPC), and its role in expanding sustainable planting of fast-growing trees.
• Highlighting the importance of science and the role of networks to enable the expansion of planted forests and discussing private sector opportunity and responsibility.