March 21, 2025

On March 21, the world celebrates International Day of Forests, which was founded in 1971 and has been celebrated annually since then. The initiator of the establishment of this Day was the European Confederation of Agriculture at the 23rd General Assembly in 1971, the idea was supported by the World Food and Agriculture Organization at the United Nations (FAO). Moreover, it was initially decided to celebrate this day on the day of the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere (the latter, according to tradition, is considered the first day of spring and is a symbol of new life and new beginnings).

In 2012, the UN General Assembly, by its resolution No. 67/200 of December 21, 2012, approved the annual celebration of International Forest Day on March 21 as an occasion to inform society about the importance of forest conservation and to raise awareness of their importance. Every year, the Day's events are dedicated to a specific topic. The theme of 2025 is "Forests and food", honoring the crucial role of forests in ensuring food security, nutrition and livelihoods.

The problem of preserving forests and their riches is one of the most important environmental challenges for all countries of the world today. In recent years, trends related to deforestation have caused concern not only among environmentalists, but also among the entire international community.

Currently, the total area of forests on the planet is approximately 38 million square kilometers (about one third of the land area), of which 13% belong to protected natural areas.

Forests are the lungs of our planet, they have invaluable ecological, social and economic importance - they participate in shaping the planet's climate, provide oxygen, recycle harmful emissions, conserve water resources, provide habitat for many plants and animals, provide food and a healthy environment for people, help preserve soil fertility and landscapes…

More than 5 billion people worldwide use forests and non-wood forest products for food, medicine, and livelihoods. More than 2 billion people use wood and other traditional fuels for cooking. They provide food, medicines and fuel, provide shelter and serve as a source of income for 1.6 billion people. the inhabitants of the planet, including more than 2 thousand indigenous ethnic groups and nationalities. In some regions of the world, forests and trees provide about 20% of rural household income.

However, every day the area of the world's forests is steadily decreasing, every second the Earth loses more than 1.5 hectares of virgin forest. First of all, this is due to population growth and the transformation of forest areas for various human needs. According to some expert estimates, over the past 10,000 years, humans have destroyed 26 million square kilometers of forests. Along with this, forests are dying from fires, illegal logging, natural disasters, insect pests, diseases and other causes. But the reduction of the forest area leads to irreparable negative processes that are of global importance for the whole of nature and the vital activity of all mankind.

In this regard, the main objective of the International Day of Forests is to draw the attention of the inhabitants of the planet to the problem of forest conservation, to inform about the importance of forest ecosystems, their true state, the main measures of their protection and restoration.

Since the processes of reducing the area of forests and their degradation have become international problems that require joint solutions by all countries, the UN called on all UN member states to support the holding of this day with special events. On this day, various actions and events aimed at protecting forests and green spaces are held everywhere in most countries of the world, including information events, various contests and exhibitions, tree planting campaigns, and various flash mobs.

Many events of public and environmental organizations are held with the support of government representatives. In particular, the UN member states have reached relevant agreements and are now implementing a number of measures within the framework of a targeted policy of reforestation and afforestation.

The International Day of Forests is also actively celebrated in Russia. After all, forests are the national wealth of the country, the Russian Federation accounts for almost a fifth of the world's forest area and about the same part of the world's timber reserves. This determines the global importance of forests for the Russian state not only as a source of the most valuable raw materials, but also as an important component of the biosphere, which largely determines the conditions of life on Earth. Reforestation campaigns are underway in Russia: "Let's save the forest", which takes place in autumn, and "Garden of Memory", which is held in spring.