It's time to harness the potential of sustainable wood for the planet

Forests are not only the lungs of the planet: if managed sustainably, they have enormous potential to become an important source of well-being, income and renewable products as part of a healthier global economy.

However, a major mindset change is needed to tap into this potential, valued at billions of euros in net profits globally.

In short, we need to change the way people think about wood.

Wood is renewable, recyclable, climate friendly and incredibly versatile.

It is also one of humanity's oldest raw materials, but thanks to innovations in the development of products based on this resource, it can take us into the future by replacing fossil and mineral materials, which generate larger carbon footprints.

Wood is renewable, recyclable, climate friendly and incredibly versatile

In May, the World Meteorological Organization warned that there is currently a 50:50 chance that the average global temperature will reach a value of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels in the next five years.

It takes a lot of effort to change the way we live, and wood is part of the solution.

Wood can play a key role in replacing single-use plastics (ranging from straws for drinking liquids to food packaging), as part of the global movement to end plastic pollution.

Likewise, wood and its derivatives offer realistic alternatives to steel, concrete and textile fibers, in less aggressive forms for the planet.

Earlier this year, the 15th World Forestry Congress – the largest international meeting on forests – called for harnessing the full potential of legally and sustainably produced wood to transform the building industry, provide renewable energy and innovative new materials, and move towards a circular bioeconomy and climate neutrality.

On the other hand, ministerial representatives from Austria, Cameroon, Gabon, Japan, Peru and the Republic of Korea called for increased efforts to promote and use sustainable wood within the broad framework of ongoing efforts to protect forests and restore degraded lands.

So what needs to happen for this to become a reality?

First, it is time to fuel the global desire to avert environmental disaster with clear and urgent messages on how to do so.

As well as more effectively communicating the benefits of wood, we need to address the widespread misconception that cutting down trees is never a good idea.

To do this, we also need to better understand how sustainable forest management works.

The production and processing of wood to meet the demand for housing projected for Africa in 2050 would contribute 83,000 million dollars to the economy of the region

Second, we must move more rapidly toward economies that substitute wood-based products for high-carbon materials, wherever possible.

Globally, it is estimated that 3 billion people will need a new place to live by 2030, which translates into some 300 million new homes.

With the construction sector currently generating nearly 40% of the world's energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, a move to innovative wood-based building materials to replace concrete and steel could be a huge difference for the environment.

As such, it would have additional benefits for economies and livelihoods:

Third, we need to ensure that forests are healthy and thriving, as a prerequisite towards a circular bioeconomy based on sustainable wood.

With agriculture driving almost 90% of deforestation, this means addressing how it is financed and removing the incentives that drive deforestation.

It also means coordinating climate and land restoration projects with sustainable timber production.

So-called “green” financing has enormous potential to benefit the environment, the people on their land, and investors.

And we need to triple investment in forest and landscape restoration by 2030, in order to meet internationally agreed goals and targets.

Finally, governments, producers and consumers must work together to end the illegal timber trade, including public procurement policies and transparent rules on the legality of this resource, as well as informed decision-making by consumers.

As the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations points out in its flagship report,

increasing the sustainable use of forests and the development of sustainable value chains based on them are essential to support ecological recovery and resilient economies.

But we must act now, to make a difference for future generations, to reimagine and reuse one of the oldest natural resources on the planet.

With sustainably produced wood, we can plant the solution.

Thais Linhares-Juvenal

is a Senior Forestry Officer with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

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