International Day of Forests. International Day of Forests International Day of Planting Forests

“Noise, noise, green forest! I know your majestic noise,

And your peace, and the brilliance of heaven above your curly head.

From childhood I used to understand your silent silence

And your mysterious language is like something close, dear ... "

Ivan Nikitin sincerely loved nature, however, like many other lyric poets: for example, Sergei Yesenin, Mikhail Lermontov, Afanasy Fet - otherwise the abundance of poems about the beauty of native spaces cannot be explained in any way. It is a pity that such a reverent attitude towards green spaces can be traced exclusively in theory - at least today. In practice, the planet's forests, and Russian ones in particular, are mercilessly cut down in order to obtain high-quality wood, for the manufacture of paper, furniture, building materials, in order to clear the territory for the construction of various buildings, laying roads. But still there is hope that our country will not turn into a continuous steppe in one "beautiful" day. Every year in Russia, a great event for domestic nature is celebrated - Forest Planting Day. And this happens not at home, sitting at the festive table, but in the fresh air - with a shovel and young seedlings in their hands.

The history of the holiday "All-Russian Forest Planting Day"

All-Russian Forest Planting Day falls on the second Saturday of May each year.. In 2017, the holiday is scheduled for May 14, but this decision is not final, because the weather can present a not too pleasant surprise and thus mix all the cards.

Traditionally forest planting day It is more of a social event than a solemn event. It goes as follows: forestry enterprises prepare in advance for the holiday, allocate territories for landscaping and the required amount of planting material. Then they recruit a group of volunteers who want to take part in the elimination of the deplorable consequences of widespread deforestation, hand them the required tools, inform them about the rules for planting young trees and give them the opportunity to feel like a creator, not a destroyer.

Everyone can join in an act of goodwill that is useful for the entire Russian population. It is not at all necessary to go to the forestry - it is enough to go out that day to your own personal plot, if you live in a private house, or to the courtyard of a high-rise building and work a little for the benefit of others. Even if the quality and quantity of your seedlings does not fit in with the concept of the forest, all the same, such efforts will not be in vain.

Who came up with the idea of choosing one day a year to restore the regularly destroyed "green lungs" of the planet? This is John Morton from the US state of Nebraska, who arrived in the Wild West in the century before last and was unable to come to terms with the massive destruction of vegetation by the colonists during the settlement on the new land. "Tree Day" was the name of the annual action, which was started by a resourceful Briton. This holiday provoked the emergence of another important event - the International Day of the Earth. However, people followed the example of Morton not only on a general scale, but also within the framework of individual states. The All-Russian Day of the Forest appeared thanks to the UN, whose representatives declared the recent 2011 the International Year of Green Spaces. This important step for the whole world was approved by the Government of the Russian Federation - and this is how a holiday similar to Tree Day appeared directly in our country.

The benefits of forests and the harm of their deforestation

Even a child knows why we plant trees. They are called the "green lungs" of the Earth in all school biology textbooks and absolutely deservedly so. The main purpose of forests is indeed the release of oxygen into the atmosphere and the absorption of carbon dioxide, the absorption of dust. In addition, certain tree species generously share with us their useful components, for example, phytoncides, due to which a large number of pathogenic bacteria die in the air.

An interesting function is performed by tropical forests. They regulate air temperature, influencing the formation of weather conditions and the supply of drinking water on the planet. Although there is an opinion that a decrease in temperature near slender trunks with lush crowns is the ability of green spaces of any kind, regardless of their qualitative composition and location. In terms of the volume of carbon absorbed, the first place on Earth is occupied by the forests of the Arctic, the last by the sparse vegetation of the tundra. If you look at green spaces from the point of view of practical benefits for humans, then forests make it possible to conduct agricultural work, in particular, the cultivation of crops. Forest belts hold back winds and snow, being natural barriers to adverse environmental factors.

Few people know about the ability of green spaces to reduce the overall level of radiation caused both by the intense solar activity of the daylight, and by various structures made of granite, concrete, etc. In addition to photosynthesis, a breathing process occurs in plant organisms, as a result of which the environmental air is saturated with moisture . Just imagine, a single beech emits more than half a ton of water in the form of water gas per day!

And the human body recognizes an increase in air humidity as a slight decrease in temperature, which is indispensable in the hot season for normal health. The crowns of trees even absorb sounds - agree that this fact is a direct recommendation for planting green giants within settlements, especially cities.

Forests, squares, parks during a stay in these territories make a person forget about pressing problems, give aesthetic pleasure to the eyes, peace to the soul, give rise to a taste for life. This must be taken into account by all those who are tired of the monotony of everyday life, as well as the initiators of cutting down trees - so that they think about what they are depriving the population of the Earth.

Clusters of woody plants, called forests, in addition to performing useful functions, keep hundreds of secrets. Cutting down natural healers can lead to tragic consequences not only for nearby settlements, but for the planet as a whole. Thus, scientists have found that the mass destruction of forests provokes the melting of ice in the northern latitudes of the Earth, and the cleansing of territories from tree crops affects the entire ecosystem functioning under the forest canopy, disrupts the microclimate, and deprives many species of animals and plants of their homes. Today, according to the results of regular cuttings, every fifth representative of the flora is on the verge of extinction. So for health and good mood we pay the forest with murder. Yes, yes, a real murder, forgetting that trees are living organisms, quite ancient, capable of even “talking” with each other. Meanwhile, over the past 10 thousand years, Eurasia has lost more than half of its natural wealth in the form of forests. Each of us must start with ourselves and plant at least one plant on this beautiful spring day, even in our own garden. As they say: with the world on a string ...

On May 20, 2017, in the Priozersky municipal district of the Leningrad Region, the central event of the action "All-Russian Forest Planting Day" will be held - on the territory of the Sosnovsky district forestry of the Priozersky forestry.

The event will be attended by the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation Sergey Efimovich Donskoy, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation - Head of the Federal Forestry Agency Ivan Vladimirovich Valentik and Governor of the Leningrad Region Alexander Yuryevich Drozdenko, employees of federal and regional government bodies, forest workers economy, public, scientific and timber industry organizations, residents of the Leningrad region.

Planting forest cultures during the central event of the campaign is planned on an area of 9 hectares, where in 2015 clear sanitary felling of forests affected by pests was carried out. During the event, 19.8 thousand pines will be planted.

In addition, on the territory of the Leningrad Region in 2017, forest planting activities will take place on more than 45 plots of forest land with a total area of 110 hectares. About 315 thousand seedlings of spruce, pine and other species are planned to be planted on these lands.

The action "All-Russian Forest Planting Day" is held by the Federal Forestry Agency for the seventh time. Over the years of the action, more than 12.8 million people took part in it, more than 212 million trees were planted.

In 2016, the central events of the All-Russian Forest Planting Day campaign were held simultaneously in three regions of the Baikal natural territory most affected by forest fires: in the Irkutsk Region, the Republic of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory.

As a result of the action in 2016, more than 18 thousand hectares of plantations were created, including 9.4 thousand hectares on the lands of the forest fund, more than 51 million new trees were planted by 4.5 million people. The heads of 31 subjects of the Russian Federation took personal part in the actions.

“It is important not to miss the time of spring planting - it gives the highest survival rate. It's nice that hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country responded to our call - from statesmen and volunteers of public organizations to ordinary residents. Last year, the action, passing through Russia, united 4.5 million people - from the Crimea to Murmansk and from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. We hope that this year the number of participants will be even greater. The person who planted the forest himself will always take care of it, treat it with respect and love,” said Ivan Valentik, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, head of the Federal Forestry Agency.

International Day of Forests in 2020 is celebrated on March 21st. The celebrations are attended by specialists in the field of environmental safety, environmental institutions, scientists, researchers, students and teachers of specialized specialties of universities, environmentalists, employees of government agencies, employees of public organizations, activists of charitable foundations.

The purpose of the holiday is to inform the public about the importance of forests and to promote their conservation.

history of the holiday

International Day of Forests was created in 1971. The idea of the holiday was proposed by the European Confederation of Agriculture at the 23rd General Assembly. The initiative was supported by the World Food and Agriculture Organization at the UN - FAO. Initially, the holiday was celebrated on the day of the autumn equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. On December 21, 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution No. 67/200, which proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forests.

Holiday traditions

Conferences, educational lectures, seminars are held on this day. Hearings are being held to reduce deforestation. The UN Secretary General delivers a message. In educational institutions, they talk about measures for the careful handling, conservation and enhancement of natural resources. Ecological organizations carry out tree planting campaigns. Activists arrange flash mobs, demonstrations, protests. People who have made a significant contribution to the protection of forests are honored. Reports on forest problems and research data are published in the mass media. Documentaries and programs about nature are broadcast.

Dendrology is the science that studies trees.
Forests cover a third of the land area.
Leonardo da Vinci found that the sum of the thicknesses of all the branches of a tree at a certain height is equal to the diameter of the trunk.
The jungle is home to two-thirds of the world's animal and plant species.
The tallest tree is a sequoia in the Redwood National Park in California, USA. Its height is 116 m.
The oldest tree is a spruce in the mountains of Sweden. Her age is 9500 years.
The most common deciduous tree in the world is birch.
Animals such as rabbits, bison, mice impede the restoration of forests. They eat seeds and damage seedlings.
To produce one sheet of A4 paper, 15-20 g of wood is required.
In the Kaliningrad region on the Curonian Spit there is a place called "Drunken Forest". It grows bent and twisted into a loop of pine.
On average, one tree produces 100 cubic meters of oxygen per year.

In 2018, the celebration of the All-Russian Forest Planting Day is celebrated on May 19. In honor of this holiday, it is customary to organize an environmental campaign aimed at greening Russia. Participants of the action will plant trees throughout the day. In the USSR, a similar holiday gained wide popularity, so to this day, caring volunteers plant new trees in Russia every year. This allows not only to contribute to the improvement of the ecology in the country, but also to once again remind the Russians of the need to take care of the state of the environment.

Tree planting day is celebrated not only in Russia. Each country has a separate date for this. It is believed that the founder of the holiday was the Minister of Agriculture Sterling Morton from the United States. In 1874, he first held an action dedicated to the landscaping of his city.

After a while, other countries began to do the same. Including the baton was picked up by Russia. In many cities of the country on this day they do not miss the opportunity to do a good deed and plant a tree.

By decision of the UN, 2011 was proclaimed the International Year of the Forest. The All-Russian Forest Planting Day was first celebrated by Russians on May 14, 2011. As a result of the action, the Russians planted almost 25 million seedlings. About 7 thousand hectares of the territory of the Russian Federation were planted with new trees.

More than 200 thousand volunteers from 60 regions of the country took part in planting trees. Every year the number of people wishing to make their contribution to the country's ecology is increasing. Various youth organizations, pupils of schools and students are involved in taking part in the action.

Officially, events dedicated to this holiday are held during the month - from April to May. In different regions of Russia, in practice, they plant trees on different days. This is due to the fact that not always in all cities there are suitable weather conditions for this. The time difference is also taken into account.

The All-Russian campaign of forest planting is covered in the media. Even those who have never planted trees can learn how to do it. The main thing is to show a desire, and more experienced specialists in this matter will instruct the volunteers.

How the Russians will spend the All-Russian Forest Planting Day

In some regions of the Russian Federation, they are only going to hold the All-Russian Forest Planting Day. In the meantime, a tree planting campaign has already been carried out in several cities. In particular, the planting of seedlings in honor of the holiday has already been completed in the Parfinsky District. Mostly the inhabitants of the area planted pine trees. The trees were planted in the area of an already existing forest, which is about 80 years old.

In Irkutsk, a tree planting campaign will be held on May 19. About 500 people are going to take part in it. On the area, which is 16 hectares, new trees will be planted. In particular, the volunteers will visit the Gorohovskoe and Irkutsk forest areas.

It is planned to plant 300,000 trees in the Sverdlovsk region on May 19. From 3 to 7 thousand people will take part in the action. Three landing sites were chosen for this.

The organizers of the action draw attention to the fact that volunteers should follow the safety rules of being in the forest. It is desirable that participants have been vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. It is worth coming to the forest only in appropriate clothing. Experts recommend taking protective equipment against ticks with you.