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Forests cover 31 percent of the world's land and are fundamental to life on our planet.
Home to more than half of the world’s land animal and plant species, forests are a direct source of food, income and shelter for millions of people, and provide energy for heating and cooking for 2.6 billion. Forests are key to mitigating climate change, absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, storing more than half the global carbon stock in soils and vegetation and regulating rainfall. If sustainably managed, forests are also a source of renewable raw materials, helping to build an economy which allows nature to regenerate.
Through its Forestry Programme, FAO seeks to restore forests, improve the lives of forest-dependent people, and support countries to manage their forests in a sustainable way. FAO’s work is fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, creating more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
Highlights
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News
FAO Director-General praises Indonesia's forest conservation and monitoring efforts
01/10/2026
Celebrating coffee and its farmers
01/10/2026
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World Forest Week: FAO report identifies methodology to improve global agroforestry monitoring
30/09/2026
Forestry at FAO
The Forestry Division leads FAO’s work in promoting the sustainable management of forests and balancing economic, social and environmental interests in landscapes surrounding them. It liaises with member countries, partners, civil society and the private sector to encourage more effective policies for management and to strengthen the role of forests in reducing the effects of climate change and helping humanity to adapt to them.
The Division also collects, analyses and shares information on the world’s forest resources and the production, trade and consumption of wood and non-wood forest products. The Committee on Forestry and six regional forestry commissions guide FAO in its technical forestry work.
Contact
Events
Hybrid Event, Rome (Italy)
28th Session Committee on Forestry
28/09/2026 - 02/10/2026
The Committee on Forestry is the highest global intergovernmental body on forestry. COFO28 will be held in conjunction with the 10th World Forest Week.
Hybrid Event, Rome (Italy)
10th World Forest Week
28/09/2026 - 02/10/2026
The 10th World Forest Week will provide the wider forest community with an opportunity to exchange ideas and showcase best practices.