Nontropical regions gained 13,000 sq km of forest a year, but that figure is deceptive because it includes industrial tree plantations and abandoned agricultural lands that have sprouted trees once again. There is no way to bring back virgin woodland with all the life it once supported. If we don't do something dramatic in the next 10 years, it's a lost cause. Even forests not being logged are seriously threatened by air pollution. Much more is at stake than the chance to take a vacation hike in a national park.
Forests protect water quality and soil stability.
They provide habitat for most of the world's land-based plants and animals, and from this biodiversity comes a wealth of foods and medicines essential to human health. Forests are home to most of the world's 50 million indigenous people. When trees burn or rot, they release carbon into the atmosphere, adding fuel to a warming phenomenon that could have disastrous consequences for humankind. Much depends on the ability of governments to come up with plans for the sustainable management of forests that will also satisfy the needs of those who are cutting woodlands down at an accelerating rate. So far the record is not good.