Forests Face Mounting Climate Stress and Rising Product Demand, FAO Report Warns

The world's forests, long regarded as the lungs of our planet, are increasingly under threat from climate change, according to a new flagship publication by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The report, titled “The State of the World’s Forests 2024: Forest-sector innovations towards a more sustainable future,” was released on July 22, 2024 at the 27th session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) in Rome.

The SOFO 2024 report highlights the growing vulnerability of forests to stressors such as wildfires and pests, exacerbated by the changing climate. Wildfire intensity and frequency are rising, even in previously unaffected areas, with 2023 alone seeing a staggering 6,687 megatonnes of carbon dioxide released due to fires. Notably, boreal fires, which once accounted for about 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, surged to unprecedented levels in 2021, driven by extended droughts that increased fire severity and fuel consumption.

In addition to wildfires, climate change is making forests more susceptible to invasive species. Pests and disease pathogens are posing significant threats to tree growth and survival. For example, the pine wood nematode has already devastated native pine forests in parts of Asia, and North America is projected to experience severe insect and disease damage by 2027.

Despite these challenges, global wood production remains robust, rebounding to around 4 billion cubic meters annually after a brief decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 6 billion people rely on non-timber forest products, and 70 percent of the world's poor depend on wild species for essentials like food, medicine, and income. Projections indicate a possible 49 percent increase in global roundwood demand between 2020 and 2050.

To address these mounting challenges, the SOFO 2024 report highlights the critical role of forest-sector innovation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. FAO Director-General QU Dongyu emphasizes the importance of science and innovation in scaling up forest-based solutions. “This edition of SOFO will inform FAO’s work to scale up evidence-based innovation in forestry. I believe it will also support FAO Members and other stakeholders in enabling responsible, inclusive, and essential innovation in the forest sector to strengthen sustainability and the resilience of agrifood systems for a better world and a better future for all,” he writes in the report’s Foreword.

The report categorizes five types of innovation vital for enhancing forests' potential to address global challenges: technological, social, policy, institutional, and financial. Notable examples include:

• Technological Innovations: AI-powered automated analysis of optical, radar, and lidar data from drones, satellites, and space stations.

• Social Innovations: Policies encouraging the involvement of women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples in developing locally led solutions.

• Policy Innovations: Development of mass timber and other wood-based products to replace fossil-based materials in construction.

• Institutional Innovations: Public-private partnerships enhancing the value of standing forests.

• Financial Innovations: New financial models supporting forest conservation and sustainable use.

The report stresses that innovation must be inclusive and gender-responsive, ensuring that benefits are equitably distributed among all socioeconomic and ethnic groups. It highlights the importance of integrating local circumstances, perspectives, knowledge, needs, and rights into the innovation process.

To scale up innovation in the forest sector, SOFO 2024 outlines five key actions: raising awareness to increase global understanding of forest challenges and innovations; boosting skills and knowledge to enhance innovation capabilities in the forestry sector; encouraging partnerships across sectors and stakeholders; ensuring accessible financial resources for innovation; and creating supportive policy and regulatory environments.

The report also presents 18 case studies from around the world, showcasing a diverse array of forest-sector innovations being tested and implemented in real-world conditions. These examples provide valuable insights into the potential for technological, social, policy, institutional, and financial innovations to create a sustainable future for the world’s forests.

As the COFO meeting continues in Rome, the global forestry community remains focused on accelerating forest solutions through innovation, aiming to protect these vital ecosystems and ensure a sustainable future for all.