Forests protect the planet...But how ??

 
Trees create the basis for many natural ecosystems. They create a stable climate and help stabilise the ground and prevent erosion. They protect coasts from waves and ocean swells, they stabilize sand dunes, protect the groundwater and prevent the spreading of desert.

Forests are very important for biological diversity. They are habitat for up to 90 percent of the terrestrial species of animals and plants we know.

Trees and shrubs play a central role for rural people throughout the world. The forest provide us with timber, firewood, food, feed for livestock, oils, rubber, medicine and new materials for new technologies, and more.

The world's forests only cover about 10 percent of the Earth's surface – but they account for 42 percent of the total photosynthesis of both land and sea. 

 

Forests cover 30 percent of the earth's surface. The total land area covered by forests in 2005 was just less than 4 billion hectares. (1 hectare = 100 m x 100 m = 10 000 m²). This area is about a third less than before agriculture emerged 10 000 years ago.

Forests are unevenly distributed around the world. Top 10 most forested countries, which include 2/3 of all forests in the world, are Russia, Brazil, Canada, USA, China, Australia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Peru and India.