The Representation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Islamic Republic of Iran in collaboration with the Forest, Range and Watershed Management Organization (FRWO) of the Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture has marked the national Tree Planting Day on 6 March 2015 by mobilizing a huge tree planting event in Forest Park of Sohanak located in North-East Tehran.

Citizens of Tehran and surrounding areas, together with the hundreds of individuals from NGOs, charities, schools and training centers, sport clubs, students of universities, seminaries and religious schools, police departments, employees of the Department of Environment and the Municipality of Tehran, gathered at the event to plant thousands of saplings in solidarity with the FAO initiative 'Growing Greener Cities' and in support of the theme being promoted by FAO for this year's International Day of Forests, namely "Forest and Trees – Climate Change".

In November 1971 during the 16th session of the FAO Conference the organization's Member States supported establishment of the World Forestry Day on 21 March of each year (a date which coincides with Nowrouz – the Persian New Year).

At its 67th Session held in February 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on 'International Day of Forests' calling upon FAO and the UN Forum on Forests to raise awareness at all levels on the need to strengthen the sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and trees outside forests for the benefit of current and future generations.

Celebration of the International Day of Forest will take place throughout the national Week of the Natural Resources (6-13 March 2015) in Iran.

According to FAO, the world's forests play a central role in combating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere in their vegetation and soils.

Forests are crucial in helping us adapt to climate change as they help ensure water availability, protect against landslides, prevent desertification and provide alternative livelihoods for people. Protecting forests conserves the biodiversity that is vital for plants, humans and other animals to adapt to climate change.

Forests have four major roles in climate change: their clearance, overuse and degradation contribute about one-sixth of global carbon emissions; they react sensitively to a changing climate; when managed sustainably, they produce wood fuels as a benign alternative to fossil fuels; and finally, they have the potential to absorb about one-tenth of global carbon emissions projected for the first half of this century into their biomass, soils and products and store them - in principle in perpetuity.