When we think about forests we think about all the trees and the wildlife. We often fail to think about how humans are slowly destroying forests – causing climate change, practicing deforestation — while ruining the homes of all the beautiful creatures who have a home there.

International Day of Forests, March 21, is a day set aside to remind us that our actions have consequences and nature needs our help.

Forests are beneficial to us in many ways. They help filter our drinking water, and provide a home for diverse species of plants and animals. Forests are a place where people enjoy going on hikes to see everything that nature has to provide. There are many things to do in a forest: hiking, fishing, biking, swimming, or just enjoying a picnic surrounded by nature.

One of the world’s most beautiful forests is located in Costa Rica. The forest is named Monteverde Cloud Forest. Costa Rica is home to six different cloud forests. In Monteverde, there is a village near where people can visit, go down a waterfall, zip line through the misty forest or cross beautiful bridges.

Those who want to preserve forests might choose this day to plant trees. Trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink and provide a habitat for animals and plants. Trees provide jobs for over 1.6 billion people and absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere.

If we want to protect the forests we have to manage them sustainably and reduce deforestation globally. Plant many more trees to substitute the ones we have already lost, planning reforestation to protect them from the changes that can come with climate change. Use wood as a material and for bioenergy, replace concrete, steel, etc. with wood.

Thirteen million hectares of forest are destroyed each year (https://www.interpols), about the size of the entire country of Costa Rica.

Climate Change can affect forests by increasing their risk of invasive species, insect outbreak, wildfires and storms. Existing species in forests can soon die out if we don’t do something to try and decrease the chances of this happening.