March 21 — International Day of Forests: history, traditions, interesting facts

Every year on March 21, Russia and other countries celebrate the International Day of Forests, dedicated to the preservation of the "green lungs" of our planet. In 2025, the holiday falls on a Friday. Izvestia tells about the history and traditions of the celebration, as well as shares interesting facts about forests.

International Forest Day in 2025: the history and significance of the holiday

Forests play a crucial role in supporting life on Earth. From time immemorial, they have provided shelter to thousands of species of animals and plants, and people with valuable resources, food, ingredients for medicines, and more. It seemed that their wealth was inexhaustible. However, in the 20th century, it became obvious that the area of forests around the world is rapidly declining, and the main reason for this is human activity.

In 1971, the European Confederation of Agriculture proposed celebrating forests to raise awareness of their role in the life of the planet and to support initiatives aimed at preserving the "green lungs" of the Earth. The day of the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere was chosen as the date for it, as in many cultures it symbolizes the awakening of nature and the beginning of a new life.

The initiative was supported by the World Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and soon World Forestry Day appeared on the calendar. In 2012, by decision of the UN General Assembly, the holiday was renamed the International Day of Forests and received a fixed date — March 21.

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International Forest Day is one of the largest environmental holidays. For many years, it has not lost its relevance, because despite a significant decrease in the rate of deforestation compared to the previous century, the area of forest crops continues to decline. This is due to the increase in population, the use of forest areas for agricultural and industrial needs, climate change, environmental pollution and other factors.

Forests are not called the green lungs of our planet for nothing. They cover about a third of the land (4.06 billion hectares) and play a key role in saturating our atmosphere with oxygen. In addition, forests protect the soil from erosion and provide billions of people around the world with shelter, food and necessary resources. For many indigenous peoples, hunting and other forestry activities are the mainstay of the economy.

Traditions of the International Day of Forests on March 21

In honor of the International Day of Forests, various educational events and environmental actions are taking place around the world. People go out on clean-up days in forests and parks, participate in flash mobs, contests and quizzes.

The staff of the reserves tell about plants and animals living in protected natural areas and explain the rules for visiting forest areas. Ecologists conduct lectures and seminars on forest conservation and environmental care at the household level.

Thematic lessons and class hours are organized in schools and kindergartens, during which children can learn more about the flora and fauna of their region.

Interesting facts about forests

In honor of the holiday, Izvestia made a selection of interesting facts about forests.

Despite the fact that more than half of the materials for paper production now come from the recycling of raw materials, about 125 million trees are still cut down per year for the needs of this production. It takes about 15-20 grams of wood to produce one sheet of A4 paper. And in order to save one tree from death, it is necessary to transfer 80 kg of waste paper for recycling.

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In the 1940s and 1950s, American Axel Erlandson created an unusual trend in the field of horticulture - arboplasty. Observing the growth of plants in a California forest, he noticed that nearby trees can grow together. Based on this discovery, he developed a technique for shaping living trunks and opened his own forest garden called the "Circus of Trees." The trees in it took on the shapes of arches, spirals, spiral staircases, and even chairs. In 1964, after Erlandson's death, his miracle forest fell into disrepair, but the fruits of his labors were not in vain: in 1984, millionaire Michael Bonfante transplanted them to his park, where they remain to this day.

One of the most durable trees in the world, the Schmidt birch, grows in the Russian Cedar Pad Nature Reserve. Its trunk is so dense that it defies the blows of an axe, and the bark cannot be penetrated even with a pistol shot.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the history and traditions of the Day of Nature Reserves and National Parks in Russia.