Forests Information Sheet

Forests are large areas that are populated with many different species of trees, shrubs and other plants.
They contain a delicate balance of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. Today, 300 million people live
in forests and over one billion people depend on them for their livelihoods. Forests cover almost one
third of our planet’s land area and well over half of the species found on land live in forests.

Why Are Forests Important?

• Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for photosynthesis and lock the carbon into
their wood, leaves and roots.
• The large amounts of leaf litter produced by forests lead to more carbon returning to the soil.
• The plants release oxygen into the atmosphere that animals use for respiration.
• Trees play an important role within the water cycle, absorbing water through their roots and
returning it to the atmosphere through their leaves by transpiration and evaporation.
• The roots of trees create channels which increase the amount of water absorbed by the soil. This
reduces the risk of flooding.
• The extensive network of roots and the canopy’s interception of rainwater reduce soil erosion.
• Forests provide us with many resources, including paper, building materials, medicines and food
(such as chocolate).

What Is Happening to Forests?

Every year, 8.8 million hectares of natural forests are cut
down. That is an area the size of a football field every
second. Cutting down forests is called deforestation.
Forests are cleared for agriculture, often to grow crops
to feed farm animals. Forest fires are often started
deliberately by people to illegally claim land and to clear
and prepare areas for cattle farming and agriculture.

Wood from forests is still used as a fuel for cooking

and heating by more than a quarter of the world’s Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, in Maués,
on december 11, 2020 © Andre Dib / WWF-Brazil
population. In many parts of the world, illegal logging licensed under CC BY
is leading to the loss of healthy forests and many
protected species are being overharvested for use in
buildings and furniture.

Why Is It a Problem?
Forests trap carbon in the plant life and the soil. Loss of forests increases the carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Deforestation reduces biodiversity. A small area of rainforest can be home to a huge amount of wildlife.
In the Amazon rainforest, 2.5km2 of forest can be home to more than 50 000 insect species. Some types
of organism are adapted to live in specific forest ecosystems. If their habitat changes quickly, there may
not be enough time for evolution to select for adaptations that allow the organisms to survive. Within
the forest community, each species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination and seed
dispersal. This is called interdependence. If one species declines or disappears, this can affect other
organisms in the community too.

Our Climate, Our Future

Forests Information Sheet

When it is full of green leaves, a large oak tree transpires 1600 litres of water a day. European forests
release half of the average rainfall per year back to the atmosphere by transpiration and evaporation.
The water vapour in the atmosphere is transported to other areas, which means that forests impact
the rainfall across the globe. If forests are lost, less water is returned to the atmosphere and rainfall
reduces. This increases the threat of droughts and wildfires.

Deforestation reduces the amount of rainfall that is absorbed by the soil. This increases surface runoff
– water that runs off the surface and into rivers. Surface runoff can cause flooding near the water
sources, as well as increased soil erosion which carries pollution and sediments into streams and rivers.
The reduced volume of water in the soil causes the rest of the landscape to dry which makes it more
prone to drought and wildfires.

Forests provide us with precious resources. Wood is an important building material for buildings and
furniture, as well as a source of fibre to make paper and card products. Much of the food that we eat
was first found in the rainforest. Many medicines that we use today were found by studying chemicals
produced by plants and trees growing in forests. Scientists believe that there are many more discoveries
to be made that could help us to stay healthy in the future.

Destroying forests harms us all. People lose their homes, security and income. Animal and plant species
face extinction, and the planet becomes more vulnerable to climate change.

What Are the Solutions?

Governments of countries with large forests could do more
to prevent deforestation by imposing and enforcing laws.
Local communities can be supported and empowered to
protect the forests. People who have used these forests
for generations can continue to do so, while ensuring that
the wildlife with which they share the forest can too.

Some crops can be grown in the forest without removing

the trees. Agroforestry enables some harvesting of trees Agroforestry plantation © WWF / Jaap van der Waarde
licensed under CC BY
for timber and other resources from the forest in a way
that allows it to stay healthy and recover. By planting many
different crops under the canopy (fruit, nuts, coffee, etc), an area of forest can provide food and income
for local communities without any areas ever being cut down completely. This creates a more natural,
biodiverse ecosystem than on a farm growing a single crop.

All countries can contribute by doing more to prevent people from profiting from deforestation. Without
a market for products, illegal logging and land clearance projects would disappear. One way to ensure
a product has come from a sustainably-managed forest is to look for the FSC label.

As individuals, we can reduce the need to draw so much on forests for resources each year by:

• using less wherever possible;

• making items reusable rather than single-use;
• recycling paper and wood products;
• producing as much as possible with recycled material.

Our Climate, Our Future