Forests: Protectors of Food and Water Resources
Forests are essential for global food security, nutrition, and the livelihoods of millions, providing a diverse array of wild foods that are crucial for rural communities. In addition to their role in sustenance, forests are vital for maintaining...
TroibNews 
Forests are essential for global food security, nutrition, and the livelihoods of millions, providing a diverse array of wild foods that are crucial for rural communities.
In addition to their role in sustenance, forests are vital for maintaining soil fertility, regulating climate, and preserving biodiversity. They play a direct role in human diets by supplying essential nutrients and support sustainable agriculture by sustaining ecological balance.
Approximately 5 billion people worldwide depend on forests and non-timber forest products for food, medicine, and income. Since ancient times, forests and trees have supplied a vast array of edible products, including nuts, mushrooms, honey, and meat, which enrich diets with important vitamins and minerals.
Furthermore, forests are critical to freshwater availability; over 75 percent of the world's accessible freshwater originates from forested watersheds, underscoring the importance of their conservation for drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power.
In China, substantial afforestation initiatives and ecological restoration programs have notably increased forest coverage. As of 2023, China's forest area reached 247 million hectares, with planted forests covering 92.4 million hectares – the largest globally.
In 2024, China added 4.45 million hectares of trees, boosting the country's forest coverage to over 25 percent, with a total forest stock volume surpassing 20 billion cubic meters. Such efforts, bolstered by policies like the Grain for Green Program, have contributed to mitigating climate change, curbing soil erosion, and enhancing biodiversity.
Jia Liming, professor and dean of the School of Forestry at Beijing Forestry University, highlighted that in 2024, China's annual forest food production exceeded 200 million tonnes, averaging 140 kilograms per capita, making it the third-largest agricultural product after grain and vegetables. The annual yield of woody oil crops, such as oil-seed camellia and walnut, reached 9.68 million tonnes, while woody grains, including chestnut, jujube, persimmon, and pine nut, totaled 14 million tonnes per year. This achievement has alleviated pressure on grain and oil supplies, and importantly, the development of forest food does not compete for arable land.
Jia noted that since the initiation of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program 40 years ago, nearly 1.7 million hectares of farmland have been transformed into shelter forests, alongside 7.9 million hectares of windbreak and sand-fixing forests. Consequently, grain production in the TSFP area has risen by 15 to 20 percent.
Forests also act as crucial carbon sinks, absorbing approximately 25 percent of global carbon emissions annually, which helps to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. The Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm, featuring 75,000 hectares of planted forest, sequesters 810,000 tonnes of CO2 and releases 550,000 tonnes of oxygen each year, according to Jia.
International organizations are actively engaged in forest conservation. The Food and Agriculture Organization promotes sustainable forest management to uphold the ecological and economic benefits of forests.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognizes over 200 forest sites as World Heritage Sites through its World Heritage program, covering more than 69 million hectares. These forests are instrumental in carbon sequestration, absorbing around 190 million tonnes of CO₂ annually.
On International Day of Forests 2025, themed "Forests and Foods," the interconnectedness of forest conservation, food security, and water resources is emphasized. Protecting forests is vital for the well-being of both people and ecosystems.
Ian Smith contributed to this article for TROIB News
In addition to their role in sustenance, forests are vital for maintaining soil fertility, regulating climate, and preserving biodiversity. They play a direct role in human diets by supplying essential nutrients and support sustainable agriculture by sustaining ecological balance.
Approximately 5 billion people worldwide depend on forests and non-timber forest products for food, medicine, and income. Since ancient times, forests and trees have supplied a vast array of edible products, including nuts, mushrooms, honey, and meat, which enrich diets with important vitamins and minerals.
Furthermore, forests are critical to freshwater availability; over 75 percent of the world's accessible freshwater originates from forested watersheds, underscoring the importance of their conservation for drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power.
In China, substantial afforestation initiatives and ecological restoration programs have notably increased forest coverage. As of 2023, China's forest area reached 247 million hectares, with planted forests covering 92.4 million hectares – the largest globally.
In 2024, China added 4.45 million hectares of trees, boosting the country's forest coverage to over 25 percent, with a total forest stock volume surpassing 20 billion cubic meters. Such efforts, bolstered by policies like the Grain for Green Program, have contributed to mitigating climate change, curbing soil erosion, and enhancing biodiversity.
Jia Liming, professor and dean of the School of Forestry at Beijing Forestry University, highlighted that in 2024, China's annual forest food production exceeded 200 million tonnes, averaging 140 kilograms per capita, making it the third-largest agricultural product after grain and vegetables. The annual yield of woody oil crops, such as oil-seed camellia and walnut, reached 9.68 million tonnes, while woody grains, including chestnut, jujube, persimmon, and pine nut, totaled 14 million tonnes per year. This achievement has alleviated pressure on grain and oil supplies, and importantly, the development of forest food does not compete for arable land.
Jia noted that since the initiation of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program 40 years ago, nearly 1.7 million hectares of farmland have been transformed into shelter forests, alongside 7.9 million hectares of windbreak and sand-fixing forests. Consequently, grain production in the TSFP area has risen by 15 to 20 percent.
Forests also act as crucial carbon sinks, absorbing approximately 25 percent of global carbon emissions annually, which helps to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. The Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm, featuring 75,000 hectares of planted forest, sequesters 810,000 tonnes of CO2 and releases 550,000 tonnes of oxygen each year, according to Jia.
International organizations are actively engaged in forest conservation. The Food and Agriculture Organization promotes sustainable forest management to uphold the ecological and economic benefits of forests.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognizes over 200 forest sites as World Heritage Sites through its World Heritage program, covering more than 69 million hectares. These forests are instrumental in carbon sequestration, absorbing around 190 million tonnes of CO₂ annually.
On International Day of Forests 2025, themed "Forests and Foods," the interconnectedness of forest conservation, food security, and water resources is emphasized. Protecting forests is vital for the well-being of both people and ecosystems.
Ian Smith contributed to this article for TROIB News
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