Young People in European Forests

1. „Young people in European Forests”

2. The total area of the world's forests is approximately 4 033 060 thousand hectares. Average forest cover in the world (about land area) is about 31%, and per inhabitant of the Earth is about 0.60 ha of forest about 2.5 times more than in Poland.

3. The countries with the largest forest area (20%), Brazil (13%), Canada (8%), the United States (7%) and China (5%) are the countries with the largest forest area. Poland (9.3 million hectares) occupies 55th place in the list of countries by forest area, Poland accounts for 0.23% of the world's forests and about 6% of the Union's forest area. By contrast, the country's wood resources (2.3bn m3) represent 9.5% of EU forest resources, giving Poland 4th place among these countries.

4. The woodiness of Poland is 30.5% (compared to the land surface) is similar to the average world forest (31%), West and Central Africa (32%) and North America (33%). The woodiness of our country is also close to the woods of Europe (without Russia) of 32.2%. It is, however, significantly lower than the woodland of South America (49%), Europe both with Russia (45%), South and Southeast Asia (35%) and Central America (38%). The woodiness of Poland is definitely higher than that of all of Africa (23%), Asia (19%) and Oceania (23%).

5. The leafy deciduous forest zone occupies a climatically diverse area, but most often in temperate warm climates, extending almost across the continent of Europe.

6. In Europe, the largest forest area is located in Russia; It is about 809 million hectares, which accounts for 79% of the total forest area in Europe. North Europe (52.1%) and Russia (49.4%), while South-East Europe (23.1%) is the largest. In Europe, the forest area in the 1990s rose by 1.6%. In Europe (excluding Russia) this increase in the 20-year period was 8.3%.

7. Central and Western Europe with the lowest South-Western Europe and Russia, are the most abundant of forests. The average wealth of Europe's forests (without Russia) - 155 m3 / ha - is similar to the average wealth in EU forests. In Poland the average forest resource is higher and amounts to 254 m3 / ha (taking into account land related to forest management).

8. On 21 March 2016, the European Environment Agency published a report on the state of forest ecosystems in Europe: "European forest ecosystems - State and trends". The conditions, trends, changes, threats and proposed actions are the main issues discussed in the report. The data were collected using the Forest Europe process, the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

9. The European Environment Agency (EEA) identified four key issues affecting forests in Europe: habitat destruction and loss, exposure to invasive alien species, pollution and climate change. In addition, human activities, including By over-cutting, uncontrolled development of suburban developments, or more intensive use for recreation, makes forests more vulnerable to degradation. Improper forest management can lead to the endangering of multiple services through forests. At the European Union level, only 26% of forest species and 15% of forest natural habitats listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive are in good conservation status.

10. To maintain and protect the ability of forests to provide a variety of services for nature and man, the EEA recommends increasing the intensity of forest ecosystems research, devoting more attention to forests in EU policy areas, increasing cooperation between stakeholders at various levels. According to the Agency, there is also a need for wider use of forest ecosystem management.

11. The most common causes of forest fires are: - adult indiscretion when using open fire, including cigarettes, matches, - arson, - defects in equipment and installation. During a forest fire, toxic fumes are released that negatively affect the environment. After a forest fire - the natural lung of the earth is reborn for decades. In the period of the greatest fire hazard, from April 1 to October 31, it is often enough to burn a few, dozen or several dozen acres of forest. People are responsible for more than 90% of forest fires.

12. If you notice a fire in the forest:Notify the fire brigade (phone 998 or 112),Grab the situation if it is a fire brigade and notice the smoldering litter, grass, single branches on a small area (several m 2), and also grain or stubble try to extinguish it by using branches, blankets, , Water (if available), or try to use the shovel to reveal the top layer of the earth to prevent the spread of fire,If it is a fire impossible to extinguish with the means available to you, make sure you are in a safe place, if not - run! In case of fire spread, evacuate in a direction perpendicular to wind direction. If you find yourself in the smoke zone lean low (with less smoke on the ground) and cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or garment,If possible go to the forest, wait for the fire department or forest service and tell them where the fire came from.

13. List of source materials: http://www.gios.gov.pl/pl/eea/aktualnosci/produkty/325-co-z-przyszloscia-lasow-w-europie https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasy_li%C5%9Bciaste_zrzucaj%C4%85ce_li%C5%9Bcie_na_zim%C4%99 https://www.bdl.lasy.gov.pl/portal/lasy-na-swiecie-cd own photos+Google Grafika Kamila Oberzig Oliwia Trocewicz Karina Flis

14. Kamila Oberzig Oliwia Trocewicz Karina Flis kl. III j • Zespół Szkół Miejskich nr 2 • ul. Siennicka 17 • 05-300 Mińsk Mazowiecki • Gimnazjum