Every year the Italian forests remove about 46.2 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
If forest assets were managed properly and not left to fend for themselves, carbon storage would grow by 30%.
Assuming at least 100,000 hectares of new woods, the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere would increase by 387,000 tons.
These are some of the data from the report "Woods and forests in the Next Generation EU", prepared by the Symbola Foundation, Coldiretti and Bonifiche Ferraresi.
The study was presented this morning by the president of the Symbola Foundation, Ermete Realacci, by the president Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini, and by the president FederlegnoArredo, Claudio Feltrin, in the presence of the Minister for European Affairs, Vincenzo Amendola.
Italy is called upon to plant more than 200 million trees over the next 10 years as its contribution to the "European Biodiversity Strategy 2030" which plans to plant 3 billion trees in EU countries.
"The National Recovery and Resilience Plan can have one of its strengths in the woods and forests - declares the president of the Symbola Foundation, Ermete Realacci -. Trees reduce a part of CO2 emissions, give more quality and reduce pollution in cities, can strengthen the wood supply chain that is important for Made in Italy ".
"We have worked out together with Federforeste the proposal to plant 50 million trees in Italy over the next five years in rural and metropolitan areas, also to create urban forests", announced the president of Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini.
