UN 의 식품 및 농업 관련 조직 의 홈페이지 www . fao . org 에 올라와 있 는 내용 을 카피 했 습니다 . .. 간만 에 영어 공부 도 한 번 하 시 구요 . .. 내용 은 최근 기후 변화 를 예방 하 기 위해 산림 의 남벌 을 막 고 산림 을 보호 하 자는 내용 입니다 . Forests and climate changeBetter forest management has key role to play in dealing with climate change Climate change and forests are intrinsically linked . on the one hand , changes in global climate are already stressing forests through higher mean annual temperatures , altered precipitation patterns and more frequent and extreme weather events . At the same time , forests and the wood they produce trap and store carbon dioxide , playing a major role in mitigating climate change . And on the flip side of the coin , when destroyed or over - harvested and burned , forests can become sources of the greenhouse gas , carbon dioxide . FAO has warned that action should be taken now to manage these complex relationships in a more holistic manner . “ We need to stop deforestation and expand the land area covered by forests , certainly , ” says Wulf Killmann , who chairs FAO ' s interdepartmental climate change working group . " But we also need to substitute fossil fuels with biofuels , -- like wood fuels from responsibly managed forests -- in order to reduce carbon emissions , and we should use more wood in long - lasting products to keep trapped carbon out of the atmosphere for longer periods of time . " How forests trap one trillion tons of carbonWhen fossil fuels are burned they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere , contributing to an atmospheric carbon dioxide increase that , in turn , contributes to global warming and climate change . Trees and forests help alleviate these changes by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it during photosynthesis to carbon , which they then " store " in the form of wood and vegetation , a process referred to as " carbon sequestration . " Trees are generally about 20 percent carbon by weight and , in addition to the trees themselves , the overall biomass of forests also acts as a " carbon sink . " For instance , the organic matter in forest soils – such as the humus produced by the decomposition of dead plant material -- also acts as a carbon store . As a result , forests store enormous amounts of carbon : in total , the world ' s forests and forest soils currently store more than one trillion tons of carbon -- twice the amount found floating free in the atmosphere -- according to FAO studies . Destruction of forests , on the other hand , adds almost six billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year , and preventing this stored carbon from escaping is important for the carbon balance and vital in conserving the environment , the UN agency says . Forests could be better used in combating climate changeThis can be achieved not just by preventing forests from being cut down , but through afforestation ( new plantings ) and reforestation ( replanting of deforested areas ) of non - forested lands . Particularly in the tropics , where vegetation grows rapidly and therefore removes carbon from the atmosphere more quickly , planting trees can remove large amounts of carbon from the air within a relatively short time . Here , forests can store as much as 15 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year in their biomass and wood . FAO and other experts have estimated that global carbon retention resulting from reduced deforestation , increased forest regrowth and more agro - forestry and plantations could make up for about 15 percent of carbon emissions from fossil fuels over the next 50 years . Harvested wood is also a carbon sink -- wood used in construction or for furniture effectively stores carbon for centuries . High - energy construction materials used in place of wood , such as plastics , aluminum or cement , typically require large amounts of fossil fuels during manufacturing . Replacing them with wood therefore has additional benefits in terms of reducing carbon emissions . Similarly , the use of wood fuel instead of oil , coal and natural gas , can actually mitigate climate change . Although burning wood and biomass does release carbon dioxide into the air , if those fuels come from a sustainably - managed forest , those carbon releases can be offset by replanting . Indeed , if managed properly , forests can supply bioenergy virtually without contributing any greenhouse gas to the atmosphere .