International Day of the Forest

In 1971 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommended March 21 ( beginning of spring ) as International Forest Day in response to global forest destruction .

In Austria , the tree of the year is officially announced on this day .

Initially, this day received little attention in Germany; there are no official events, etc. This is also due to the fact that the FAO decided in 1951 to recommend an international "World Festival of the Tree".

Another reason for the low prevalence of "Forest Day" is its early date: March 21 is not a date when trees begin to shoot leaves , even in early warmer years . At most, the blossoms of some tree species (e.g. ash , alder ) are ready, but even early varieties such as the birch are not yet in leaf shoots on March 21st.

In view of climate change , however, it has been increasingly observed over the last few years whether the time at which the leaves emerge has shifted. For this purpose, phenological observations of forest trees are increasingly being carried out. If the assumptions of premature leaf emergence are confirmed over the years, the day of the forest could become more important.

In addition to the day of the forest there is the " day of the tree ". This was carried out for the first time in Germany on April 25, 1952 with the planting of a maple tree by the first Federal President Theodor Heuss in Bonn's Hofgarten . This day of action and remembrance is more popular.

In 2015, on the occasion of the date, researchers warned of the fragmentation (splintering) of forests and the serious and far-reaching consequences that could result.

On the following day, March 22nd, World Water Day is celebrated.

Web links

• Day of the Forest , website of PEFC Germany eV
• wald.ch
• nabu.de: Citizens value near-natural forests , Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU)
• sdw.de : Protection Association of German Forests
  • Landesverband Rheinland-Pfalz : sdw-rlp.de: International Day of Forests on March 21, 2008
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF), March 20, 2009: On Forest Day: WWF calls for more protection of global forest areas

Individual evidence

1. ↑ FAO Conference 37th Session, June 25 to July 2, 2011 in Rome : unece.org: Report International Year of Forests 2011 (PDF; 84 kB) - Annex point 37, p. 9.
2. ↑ “Are our forests green longer?” ( Memento from July 18, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) from October 3, 2006, accessed on March 30, 2010.
3. ↑ Badische-zeitung.de , March 21, 2015: Warning on Forest Day against fragmentation of the forests