International Day of Forests

Mankind has not raised the issue of forest importance until very late, since the nineteenth century, as a result of socio-economic changes that have significantly increased the use and exploitation of timber.
According to the EU Forest Action, the forests represent a very important area for the European Union: they cover 37,8 % of the European land and provide the existence for 3,4 millions people (forestry and forest-based industries). Additionally, EU is the second biggest industrial roundwood producer after USA and produces around 80 % of the cork at global level. In the context of climate change, forests play an important role, not only because of capturing the carbon dioxide, but also being a source of biomass and potential for renewable energies. Finally, forests are important from social and cultural point of view: are attractive for urban population, are location for entertainment activities beneficial to health and are an important cultural heritage.
As regards its climate regulation and air quality maintenance function, it should be noted that the forest gather on relatively small area a significant amount of vegetable biomass (trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants) engaged in the process of photosynthesis. Thus, it ensures the consumption of carbon dioxide originated from various sources, releasing at the same time, oxygen. 1 hectare of forest absorbs annually about 16 tons of CO2 and produces about 30 tons of O2 during photosynthesis.
The “purification” effect appears for a wider range of pollutants – sediment particles, sulphur dioxide, radioactive elements – retained mechanically or absorbed by foliages.
At local scale, forests provide a specific local climate, by moderating the temperature extremes (during summer, the temperature in the woods is approx. 2 degrees lower than outside it), lowering the intensity of solar radiation, increasing the relative air humidity by forming above the forest of an upward humid airflow, increasing the frequency of the atmospheric calm and lowering the wind speed, distributing uniformly the precipitations and increasing their quantity. The foliage of trees retain on average of 40-50% of rainfall.
The forests contribute to the formation of water reserves and regulate the rivers flow regime, by infiltration or by decreasing the amount of water drained from the surface, slowing the rate of leakage and reducing the maximum flood flows.
It also contributes to the soil protection, by preventing erosion and degradation (avoid landslides, sandy soils fixation), as well as by intensification of the solidification process. Forests also contribute to the protection against land erosion by fixing the substrate with roots, especially on slopes, thus reducing the likelihood of landslides and collapses.