7 June 2010: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has noted that forests cover over 44% of Europe’s land area, having grown by 17 million hectares in the last 15 years, and is stressing the need to increase public awareness about opportunities for the sustainable use of wood.
Ingwald Gschwandtl, Chair of the Forest Communicators Network of UNECE and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), stressed that, “to produce wood requires less energy and emits less carbon dioxide than to produce most other construction materials. So, if we can convince people to use wood instead of concrete, plastic or steel, this is going to reduce long-term emissions of carbon dioxide.”
The UNECE/FAO Forest Communicators Network, which is mobilizing its participants to proactively dispel widespread public misconceptions about forests in Europe, met on 26-28 May 2010, in Hjortviken, Sweden, to develop a pan-European strategy for forest communication. [UNECE Press Release]