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UPM Tree Planting Season 2013

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UPM Tree Planting Season 2013

(こちらは英語のみとなります)

The UN declared March 21 as the International Day of Forests. Today, May 22, is the UN Day of Biodiversity. Between these dates, UPM has organized tree planting events together with its stakeholders all over the world.

Deforestation is the main driver for biodiversity loss in terrestrial ecosystems. Deforestation results in 17% of global CO2 emissions annually. Over the last decade, each year 13 million hectares of forest were converted to other uses. Deforestation is a serious environmental problem. UPM wants to raise awareness of the importance of the forests. Most of the tree planting events are arranged in cooperation with schools and schoolchildren.

UPM wants to take the children close to the nature and convey them the message how important the trees are to mankind. One rarely comes to think the services trees provide to mankind. Trees

  • hold water in order to ensure the high quality of surface and groundwater
  • produce carbon neutral bioenergy
  • sequestrate carbon
  • clean the air from NOx, SOx, monoxide, ozone molecules, PAH particles and other impurities and produce oxygen
  • protect us from storm damages
  • prevent erosion and act as a buffer against desertification
  • produce food – berries, mushrooms and game
  • offer recreational possibilities reduce stress and improve mental and physical well-being
  • reduce noise
  • save energy by cooling the houses in summertime and protecting them in wintertime
  • harbour and protect biological diversity

In addition to this, trees make renewable raw material for multiple products: timber, pulp, paper, plywood, labels, composites, fabrics, bandages, diapers, medicines, bioenergy, biofuels – but, in the end, produce no waste. Furthermore, forests provide income and employment to millions of people.

UPM Tree Planting Events

Today, on the UN Day of Biodiversity, UPM will have several tree planting events in Finland together with schoolchildren. UPM is also delivering its high quality tree seedlings to the passers-by in the very popular Esplanade park in the heart of Helsinki city.

Due to local climate conditions, UPM tree planting days are being held throughout the year in different countries. This spring, events took place in China, Estonia, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.

So, why all this fuss? Trees make the foundation for forest biodiversity. Diverse forests ensure high biodiversity. This is true in the commercial forests, too. UPM has a Global Biodiversity Programme with six key elements: 

  1. Native tree species
  2. Deadwood
  3. Valuable habitats
  4. Forest structure
  5. Water resources
  6. Natural forests 

Promoting these elements will ensure biologically high diverse commercial forests.

And, by the way, UPM plants professionally c. 50 million trees every year in its commercial forests in Finland, UK, USA and Uruguay as a key element of sustainable forestry. These trees will serve future human generations.