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Questions and Answers on forests:

1.	How much of the world is forested?
	Forests cover 30 per cent of the planet’s total land area. The total forested area in 2005 was just under 4 billion hectares, at least one third less than before the dawn of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago.  (1 hectare is equal to 10,000 square metres).
2.	Where are forests found?
	Forests are unevenly distributed. The ten most forest-rich countries, which account for two-thirds of the total forested area, are the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States, China, Australia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Peru and India.
3.	What is a primary forest?
	On a global average, more than one-third of all forests are primary forests, defined as forests where there are no clearly visible indications of human activity and where ecological processes are not significantly disturbed. Six million hectares of primary forest are lost every year due to deforestation and modification through selective logging and other human interventions. Only 20 per cent of the world’s forests remain in large intact areas. These forests consist of tropical rain forests, mangrove, coastal and swamp forests. Monsoon and deciduous forests flourish in the drier and more mountainous regions. Primary forests shelter diverse animal and plant species, and culturally diverse indigenous people, with deep connections to their habitat.
4.	What are the protective functions of forests?
	Trees quite literally form the foundations of many natural systems. They help to conserve soil and water, control avalanches, prevent desertification, protect coastal areas and stabilize sand dunes. Forests are the most important repositories of terrestrial biological biodiversity, housing up to 90 per cent of known terrestrial species. Trees and shrubs play a vital role in the daily life of rural communities.  They provide sources of timber, fuel wood, food, fodder, essential oils, gums, resins and latex, medicines and shade. Forest animals have a vital role in forest ecology such as pollination, seed dispersal and germination.
5.	What are the links between forests and climate change?
	Trees absorb carbon dioxide and are vital carbon sinks. It is estimated that the world’s forests store 283 Gigatonnes of carbon in their biomass alone, and that carbon stored in forest biomass, deadwood, litter and soil together is roughly 50 per cent more than the carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon in forest biomass decreased in Africa, Asia and South America in the period 1990–2005. For the world as a whole, carbon stocks in forest biomass decreased annually by 1.1 Gigatonne of carbon (equivalent to 4 billion 25kg sacks of charcoal). The loss of natural forests around the world contributes more to global emissions each year than the transport sector.  Curbing deforestation is a highly cost-effective way to reduce emissions.  Other solutions include increased energy efficiency, reduced energy demand, better transport and the use of green energy.
6.	What is the deforestation rate on Earth?
	World population currently stands at 6.5 billion people. It is projected to grow to 9 billion by 2042.  The expansion of agricultural and industrial needs, population growth, poverty, landlessness and consumer demand are the major driving forces behind deforestation. Most deforestation is due to conversion of forests to agricultural land. Global removals of wood for timber and fuel amounted to 3.1 billion cubic metres in 2005. Worldwide, deforestation continues at an alarming rate, about 13 million hectares per year, an area the size of Greece or Nicaragua. Africa and South America have the largest net loss of forests. In Africa it is estimated that nearly half othe forest loss was due to removal of wood fuel. Forests in Europe are expanding. Asia, which had a net loss in the 1990s, reported a net gain of forests in the past five years, primarily due to large-scale forestation in China. Forest planting and the natural expansion of forests help to reduce the net loss of forests. The net change in forested area in the period 2000–2005 is estimated at 7.3 million hectares a year (an area about the size of Sierra Leone or Panama), down from 8.9 million hectares a year in the period 1990–2000.
7.	Where should trees be planted as a priority?
	Favourable growing conditions give nations in the southern hemisphere an advantage over most industrial countries in the economics of wood production. Plantations in the south can produce 10–20 cubic metres of wood per hectare per year, considerably more than plantations in most northern temperate regions and 10–20 times the typical productivity of natural forests worldwide. The Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign of UNEP encourages the planting of trees in four key areas, namely: (i) degraded natural forests and wilderness areas; (ii) farms and rural landscapes; (iii) sustainably managed plantations; and (iv) urban environments.  Trees have to be well adapted to local conditions, and mixtures of species are preferred over monocultures. Many trees have communal benefits, especially for the poor, and ownership, access and use rights are as important as the number of trees.
8.	Who owns forests and trees?
	Forest and tree ownership and tenure are changing. Eighty per cent of the world’s forests are publicly owned, but private ownership is on the rise, especially in North and Central America and in Oceania. About 11 per cent of the world’s forests are designated for the conservation of biological diversity. These areas are mainly, but not exclusively, in protected areas.
9.	Who cares for forests and trees?
	Around 10 million people are employed in conventional forest management and conservation. Formal employment in forestry declined by about 10 per cent from 1990 to 2000. More than 1 billion forest adjacent people are informal custodians of forests. They rely on forest products and services for a significant part of their livelihoods. Approximately 500 million small-scale farmers in the tropics retain and manage trees on their farms for livelihood goals. Fast Facts about forests: 1. Trees include the largest and longest living organisms on earth. 2. Millions of hectares and billions of trees have to be planted to stabilize soil and water resources  and to meet fuel wood needs. 3. To make up for the loss of trees in the past decade, we would need to plant 130 million hectares (or 1.3 million km2), an area as large as Peru. 4. Covering the equivalent of 130 million hectares would entail planting approximately 14 billion trees every year for 10 consecutive years.  This would require each person to plant and care for at least two seedlings a year. 5. Rehabilitating tens of millions of hectares of degraded land and reforesting the Earth is necessary to restore and maintain the productivity of soil and water resources. 6. Expanding tree cover on denuded lands will reduce pressures on remaining primary forests, helping to preserve habitats and to safeguard the Earth’s biological diversity. It will also mitigate the building of atmospheric carbon dioxide. 7. Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol specifically calls for the maintenance of forests by afforestation and reforestation, and by controlling deforestation. 8. Humans have contributed to carbon dioxide emissions in two ways: by burning fossil fuels and by converting forestlands to other uses. 9. Rainforests cover only 7 per cent of the land on earth but they contain nearly half of all the trees on earth.  They generate about 40 per cent of the world’s oxygen. 10. In one year, an average tree inhales 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of CO2 and exhales enough oxygen for a family of four for a year. 11. One hectare of trees can absorb 6 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. 12. A long haul flight will produce 3.75 tonnes of CO2. (or one tonne of carbon) 13. Agroforestry programmes make trees more accessible and spread their benefits more widely.  Trees on farms often yield more biomass. Nitrogen-fixing trees planted in shelterbelts or interspersed with crops can enhance soil fertility, increase soil moisture and reduce erosion. 14. Agroforestry systems contribute simultaneously to buffering farmers against climate variability and to reducing atmospheric loads of greenhouse gases. 15. The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) recommends the planting of deciduous trees where water scarcity is a problem.  They consume less water than evergreens during critical periods of water shortage and compete less with crops. They shed their leaves between one to six months per year and adapt to long-term rainfall patterns. Deciduous species are suitable for semi-arid areas 16. Deep roots anchor the tree and topsoil to deeper layers and increase the resistance to landslides and bank erosion under wet soil conditions. Horizontal roots bind soil and also reduce erosion. 17. Aspirin originally came from the bark of a willow tree. Quinine, the cure for malaria, comes from the bark of Cinchona trees. 18. The net forest loss per day is 20,000 hectares or the equivalent of an area twice the size of Paris. This adds up to 7.3 million hectares per year. 19. While forested lands are growing at 0.1 per cent a year in high-income countries, they are shrinking at 0.5 percent a year in low-income countries. Nevertheless, poor countries are much more dependent on natural resources as assets than rich countries.

Sources :     
Poverty and the Environment
Green Belt Movement
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
Worldwatch Institute