The United Nations resolution on 28 November 2023 established the International Day of Forests on 21 March. Various events were organized to enlighten the benefits of forests and their benefits for future generations. United Nations in collaboration with other organizations encourages countries to develop programs and events on International Forest Day to raise awareness among people about the importance of forests for their living. Since forests are home to 80% of all terrestrial biodiversity and since their destruction causes numerous species to go extinct every year, the health of our forests is crucial to all of us. Naturally, forests are also very important in causing climate change. Deforestation accounts for 12–18% of global carbon emissions and accelerates global warming. In addition, forests supply water, food, fiber, and even medications.

Trees are essential to life because they provide most of the oxygen we breathe, offer much-needed shade on hot days, and are just stunning. We should all make conserving the planet's trees a top priority for all of the aforementioned reasons, among many others, and happily, this has been the case lately. We still have a long way to go, of course, with millions of hectares of forests being cut down annually, but the International Day of Forests is evidence that we are making headway.

There are lots of wonderful ways to honor this day. You could plant a few trees and by that, we don't even mean making a lifelong commitment to plant thousands of trees, which would require you to give up your work. It would be plenty to have even one or two in your backyard! Why not plant one or two fruit trees? There must be a fruit that you adore. Nothing truly captures the essence of summertime like fresh fruit plucked straight from a tree. Not to mention the juices and jams you could produce and savor for months later that are 100% free of pesticides and herbicides! Hiking in a local forest is another way to observe the International Day of Forests.

We sometimes take trees for granted, therefore it would be nice to get outside and enjoy some fresh air while also appreciating the beauty of nature in general and trees in particular. If you're not feeling quite so energetic, you can still make a conscious effort to stop the destruction of so many trees by renting books from the library rather than buying them, recycling old paper, and, of course, modelling these actions for your kids! Nothing works better than bringing attention to a problem to expedite its resolution, particularly when it involves the next generation of human beings.

Make sure you have an impact on the International Day of Forests. Just as one tree doesn't seem to matter when millions of hectares are affected, so too would the Earth be a better place if all of us earthlings cared just a tiny bit.

Today, on this day Pakistan plays a constructive role and has done different activities to raise awareness among people of society which includes walks, seminars, webinars, plantation drivers, conferences, and many more.

About the Author: Hafiza Rabia Yaseen is an environmentalist who works for the betterment of the environment and the sustainability of natural resources by notifying certain issues.