Friday, Mar. 20, is the International Day of Forests, a day of observance adopted by the United Nations in 2012. This year’s theme is “Create a Climate Smart Future”.
Over one billion people in the world today depend on forests for their livelihoods, medicine, fuel and food.
Forests cover 31 per cent of global land area and contain more than 60,000 tree species, many as yet unidentified.
They clean the air that we breathe and the water that we drink. They safeguard the planet’s biodiversity and are a natural defence against climate change.
As Canadians should be proud – a large percentage of our land is covered in forests.
Why not plan on supporting and celebrating this international day by planting some trees in your yard, or in the community (but don’t forget to ask permission if planting somewhere other than your own yard).
Or go for a walk under the trees along one of our local rivers or streams River and see how many trees you can name.