Forests are important to global food security, nutrition and the incomes of millions.
They use a range of wild foods that are crucial to rural communities.Beyond sustenance, forests play a critical role in maintaining soil fertility, regulating environment and maintaining biodiversity.
They contribute directly to human diet plans by providing vital nutrients and assistance sustainable farming by maintaining eco-friendly balance.Approximately 5 billion people in the world rely on forests and non-timber forest items for food, medication and income.
Forests and trees have offered considering that ancient times a wide range of edible products, such as nuts, mushrooms, honey and meat, supplementing diet plans with crucial vitamins and minerals.Moreover, forests play a crucial role in freshwater availability.
More than 75 percent of the worlds accessible freshwater originates from forested watersheds, making their preservation important for drinking water, watering and hydroelectric power.In China, comprehensive afforestation efforts and environmental restoration programs have actually substantially expanded forest coverage.As of 2023, Chinas forest area reached 247 million hectares, with planted forests covering 92.4 million hectares &-- the largest in the world.In 2024, China planted 4.45 million hectares of trees, raising the countrys forest protection to over 25 percent, with total forest stock volume exceeding 20 billion cubic meters.These efforts, supported by policies like the Grain for Green Program, have actually helped alleviate environment change, minimize soil disintegration and improve biodiversity.Jia Liming, teacher and dean of the School of Forestry at Beijing Forestry University, mentioned that in 2024, Chinas yearly forest food production went beyond 200 million tonnes, averaging 140 kgs per capita, making it the third-largest agricultural item after grain and vegetables.
The annual production of woody oil crops, such as oil-seed camellia and walnut, reached 9.68 million tonnes, while woody grains, consisting of chestnut, jujube, persimmon and pine nut, amounted to 14 million tonnes a year.
This has considerably relieved the pressure on grain and oil supply.
The development of forest food does not inhabit arable land.Jia kept in mind that over the 40 years given that the launch of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program (TSFP), almost 1.7 million hectares of farmland shelter forests and 7.9 million hectares of windbreak and sand-fixing forests have been established.
As a result, grain production in the TSFP location has actually increased by 15 to 20 percent.Forests act as important carbon sinks, soaking up approximately 25 percent of global carbon emissions each year, therefore mitigating the negative effect of environment change on farming.
The Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm, with its 75,000 hectares of planted forest, sequesters 810,000 tonnes of CO2 and releases 550,000 tonnes of oxygen each year, Jia added.International companies are actively associated with forest preservation.
The Food and Agriculture Organization promotes sustainable forest management to maintain forests eco-friendly and economic benefits.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, through its World Heritage program, recognizes over 200 forest sites as World Heritage Sites, covering more than 69 million hectares.
These forests play an important function in carbon sequestration, taking in around 190 million tonnes of CO₂ ₂ annually.On International Day of Forests 2025, themed Forests and Foods, individuals are reminded of the interconnectedness of forest conservation, food security and water resources.
The well-being of both people and environments is ensured by safeguarding forests.(Cover designed by CGTNs Yin Yating)