Restoration of degraded lands requires that efforts focus on huge areas of tree-cover plantations and closed forests. Efforts made so far are insufficient. The rate of increment in the main regions is still uncertain. There are substantial problems with the reliability of the growth data, not only in the developing world but also in the developed world. Plantations in the Southern Hemisphere are crucial to balancing the global supply of non-coniferous fibers.
Many questions remain on the outlook for plantations in the Southern Hemisphere.
Russia holds the key to balancing the global supply of coniferous forests. The prospects for improving the carbon balance through plantations, improved silviculture, and replacement of fossil fuels by wood are rather bright. Much research is going into this field, but limited actions based on future climate concerns have been implemented. A new mechanism is required if forests are to play a crucial role in balancing future climate changes. Based on the reviews in this paper, it can be concluded that the largest global environmental problem connected to forestry is probably the limitations of forest production.