The Future of Forestry: What Role Will Forests Have?

Forestry is more important than ever before. The health of the planet relies on sustainable forestry, so it has a vital role to play in our future.

What is forestry?

Forestry is the science of growing and managing forests.¹ There are different types of work involved, such as managing and growing forests to sustaining commercial plantations. There are also different contexts for forestry, such as commercial, recreational or research-based forestry.²

Commercial forestry is based on the sustainable growing of trees for commercial production.³ It usually focuses on tree plantations rather than natural forests.⁴Recreational forestry is broader – it could be anything from maintaining forests for hiking and festivals to ensuring that the ecosystem is thriving. Sustainable forestry is based on the natural life-cycle of trees, which could be anything from 50 to 5,000 years.⁵

Forestry is necessary for the sake of our natural environment, for rural livelihoods and to protect us from climate change.⁶ Specialists monitor trees for signs of disease or damage. They ensure other living beings in the forest are also thriving. Forests are important because they absorb carbon from the atmosphere, improve the soil and stop flooding.⁷

Some say that forestry is more of an art or craft than a science. But there is no doubt that science plays a large role in this field. Neither is it straightforward; scientists still don’t know enough about how trees and plants interact with each other in complicated ecosystems.⁸

What is the current situation of forestry?

According to the UN’s latest report,⁹ forests cover 31 per cent of the world’s land, which is just over four billion hectares. They are not equally distributed either. A fifth of the world’s forest area is in one country: Russia. More than half of the world’s forest land is in five countries: Russia, Brazil, Canada, the US and China.¹⁰

The good news is that the rate of deforestation around the world has slowed down in recent years.¹¹ The bad news is that the world is still losing forests.¹² An estimated 420 million hectares of forest land has been lost since 1990 alone.¹³ The main reason for deforestation is still agriculture, so growing food to feed animals and humans. Some countries, such as China and the US, are investing billions into expanding forest cover.¹⁴

What’s more, there is more public awareness and support for planting more trees. The 2019 UK Public Opinion of Forestry survey found that 88 per cent of Britons agreed that more trees should be planted.¹⁵

People also seek action on climate change. During the 2019 election, a survey found climate change was the second most important issue for young people.¹⁶

What does the future of forestry look like?

There is an increasing demand for forestry skills, as more governments and NGOs prioritise the natural environment and climate change.¹⁷ Both areas need effective forest management. Plus, there will be more pressure on forests in the future, as the world’s population expands and there are more mouths to feed. Demand for agricultural land is the biggest driver of deforestation.¹⁸

There is also more demand for the science of growing trees, as more of the world’s land gets swallowed up by desertification.¹⁹ Desertification is when the soil degrades to such an extent that it becomes a desert and cannot sustain plant life.²⁰ In the UK alone, the forestry industry is worth £2 billion every year to the UK economy. It supports 80,000 UK jobs, often in rural areas with few other employment opportunities.²¹. There are growing calls for more trees to be planted in the UK too, with Friends of the Earth proposing that the UK doubles its tree cover by planting 100,000 hectares of new woodland each year.²² Only knowledge of forestry will drive all these ambitions forward and ensure a brighter future for forestry.

How can we change or influence the future of forestry?

We all have a part to play in making forestry more valuable. For a start, we should call on our politicians to take stronger action against climate change.²³ A large part of that will require planting more trees.²⁴ The COVID-19 pandemic has made people appreciate natural green spaces far more.²⁵ We should continue that momentum.

We can also use more home-grown wood. Using more wood for building is more sustainable and climate-friendly than other products, such as plastic or iron.²⁶ By using more wood in buildings, carbon is locked up for longer. Importing less wood from abroad would also reduce our carbon footprint.²⁷ At the end of its life, wood can be recycled, reused as fuel, or simply allowed to decompose naturally.²⁸ Some groups, such as EcoTree, are also pioneering a new form of climate-friendly policies: letting people invest in trees and forests.²⁹

By calling for a better future and creating new ways for people to enjoy a connection with trees and forests, we can help create a better world and protect ourselves from climate change. Forestry is an integral part of that future vision.

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