FAO – 8th World Forest Week- Growing a better planet

PARTNERS

The 8th World Forest Week (WFW2022) will feature a series of inspiring events bringing FAO Member States, a range of partner organizations, leaders, science and youth to discuss a broad range of topics at the margins of the 26th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO26).

As in previous years, the World Forest Week will provide participants and partner organizations with a unique opportunity to exchange, connect, showcase best practices and actions on the ground, and to contribute from the forest community to the global international debate on forestry and environmental issues. Events organized during the World Forest Week will be virtual and hybrid, organized/co-sponsored by Members, partner organizations (including the Collaborative Partnership on Forests) and FAO.

WFW2022 is structured around the priority areas outlined in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031 with its vision of a sustainable and food secure world for all, in the context of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. FAO seeks transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Side event: “Planting forests for carbon neutral economies, sustainable landscapes and livelihoods”  –  Wednesday 5 October from 08:15 to 09:45am in the Red room

Please find attached the programme of the event.

This side-event aims at sharing experiences and current trends in planted forests and at discussing 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 livelihoods opportunities. The event will bring together perspectives from governments, science, civil society, industry and FAO Commissions.

Alignment with 4 Betters

The side-event fits best under Better Environment: Planted forests are a known option for restoration of degraded landscapes. Through the provision of wood products and income generation, community forests and woodlots can reduce pressure on forest reserves and other protected areas. Planted forests recently gained recognition for the multiple ecosystem services they can provide: erosion control, soil fallow, carbon sequestration, and freshwater flow protection, among others.

However, it is relevant to all the other Betters:

• Better Production: Planted forests, including plantations are widely used throughout the world for the production of biomass for timber, bioenergy and other forest products.
• Better Nutrition: Planted forests are an important source of bioenergy supply, with in particular fuelwood and charcoal for cooking in many countries throughout the world, and are an essential link of the food system.
• Better Life: Planted forests are part of large, globalized value chains as much as they are a source of livelihoods for smallholders and family farmers. They will be instrumental to fulfill the needs in wood products of a growing global population

Christophe Orazio, Director, European Institute of Planted Forest (IEFC) and Lead of the IUFRO Taskforce “Resilient Planted Forests Serving Society & Bioeconomy” will be one of the speakers, for the panel discussion.

More information