Every year on the 21st of March, a special occasion is celebrated around the world. An event that is equal parts celebration and an opportunity to spread awareness. Today marks the 10th annual celebration of the international day of forests! Established in 2012 by the United Nations General Assembly, international forest day is a unification of two commemorations: Forest Day and World Forestry Day. As such, it celebrates the importance of every tree, forest and forestry as a whole.
The importance of forests
Forests provide a home for 80% of terrestrial animal and plant species.
This includes 80% of amphibians, 75% birds, and 68% of mammals that live in forests, as well as 60,000 different tree species. Apart from providing a habitat for so many forms of life, forests also produce wood. Wood is a material with wide use and many applications. It has been around since the dawn of man and helped shape early cultures. Wood is used in building construction, furniture, utensils, clothes and even food and medicine. In many cases, it can be used as a replacement for harmful materials such as plastic, rubber and concrete. Forests also act as the planet’s lungs — absorbing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and producing oxygen through photosynthesis. Almost one third of the carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is absorbed by the trees in forests around the world.
The threat to forests
With such immense benefits to mankind, it is unimaginable to think what might happen if forests were to suddenly disappear. Even though a scenario like this is highly unlikely, forests around the world are disappearing.
Every year around 10 million hectares of forest land is lost to deforestation. Therefore, it is very important to raise awareness and support reforestation initiatives.
Coorest & reforestation
Coorest is heavily involved in reforestation, as its NFTrees are all linked to real trees. The company is preparing to plant 5500 fig trees in its orchard in Zaragoza, Spain during May. This project is just the beginning for Coorest. Over 75,000 trees will be planted this year as many more NFTree forests and orchards are being planned.
Now you know about international forests day and why forests are so important, and what dangers they face. If you want to use the occasion to celebrate, all you need to do is to go to your local forest and experience the wonder of nature. If you want to take it a step further, learn more about how you can help preserve forests and support a reforestation project of your choice.
If you like the idea of owning an NFT that is tied to a real tree and will be both helpful to the local community and the environment — check out the 315 Guild NFTrees on Venly.
The Coorest team wishes you a happy international forest day!
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