The Problem Committee on the Climate Crisis at the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences is calling for the development of a multidimensional, social dialogue-based forest policy that combines the rapidly developing scientific knowledge of these complex ecosystems with the needs and interests of different social groups.

‘The forest as we knew it is changing before our eyes. The range of many species is changing and some are gradually disappearing from our forests. Increasingly frequent droughts and hurricane-force winds are weakening tree stands, which then fall prey to pathogens. These changes will have a dramatic impact on many areas of our lives, including the functioning of the huge timber industry’, explains the Committee’s appeal.

At the same time, the Committee draws attention to the key role that forests can play in combating and mitigating climate change. Forests capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which is then stored in the trees themselves and in the soil. While increasing forest cover is not a substitute for moving away from fossil fuels, it can be one tool to offset carbon emissions.