The importance of forests to the climate has in recent years been given increased news in connection with global deforestation and the Swedish debate on how our 28 million hectares of forest contribute to coal storage.
Besides the climate, the forest is of course also important for industry, biodiversity and many other areas.
But I would like to turn to the saying 'not to see the forest for all the trees' and highlight the meaning of that particular tree. In the field of land use research, the concept of trees outside the forest is on the wallpaper and in practical applications around the world its importance is a fact. Not least in agriculture.
According to a 2016 scientific article, 43 percent of the world's agricultural land has trees.
I will give some examples of the tree's many roles.
In dry environments, it is common to have trees on arable land, which is the case in Burkina Faso where parkland agroforestry has been practiced for centuries.
The reason for having trees in the fields is that it is an advantage for the cultivation. One such is that the roots of the trees contribute to the soil being porous so that water from the heavy but short rainfalls can reach down to the groundwater instead of flowing away on the surface.
By trying to mimic natural vegetation with the elements of trees, farmers can gain more benefits than just a harvested crop. One such advantage is reduced soil erosion, which Rwanda's government has noted.
They have launched an agroforesty strategy where the majority of agricultural land in the mountainous country should have trees in the cultivation fields to curb soil erosion, all within a five-year period. An ambitious plan!
In Brazil, the then government launched the Low-Carbon Agriculture program in 2009, which through favorable loans wants to get landowners to change their land use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
One strategy is to move from monocultural agriculture to mixed systems where crops, grazing animals and trees are integrated on the same surface, which results in less greenhouse gas emissions.
Trees are also important outside agriculture. In a study from the Swedish Transport Administration, researchers in Gothenburg show that tree-clad areas in the city provide lower temperatures, act as mushrooms during rainfall and provide better air quality.
And in terms of tree protection, after the 2004 tsunami, a study shows that families on the southern coast of Sri Lanka who had trees in their gardens had fewer injuries and greater recovery capacity than those who did not.
Most coastal residents also wanted to see more mangrove forest as shelter in similar events, something the government has fixed. In 2015, they came as the first country in the world with a mangrove re-establishment plan.
What do these examples mean then?
Yes, forests are good but the trees themselves have many good features that should be taken into account. Measures and strategies are developed within climate adaptation where there are often heat waves, droughts or floods and related natural disasters and in these respects trees can make a big difference.
Thus, count the many roles of the tree, even those outside the forest.