Forests Key To Climate Change Mitigation, Says Silviculturist

By Grace Samuel
An expert in Silviculture and Plant Biotechnology, Professor Alaba Emmanuel Gbadamosi, has emphasized the significant role forests and trees play in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and the spread of new diseases.
He stressed that forests are essential for maintaining the earth’s climate by absorbing greenhouse gases and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere at various levels.
Gbadamosi, who spoke while delivering a Lecture Gbadamosi at Adekunle Ajasin University in Ondo State, recently, emphasized the crucial ecological roles forests play in preventing soil erosion, managing watersheds, and acting as a natural water filter to recharge underground aquifers.
He said, additionally, forests serve as protective barriers, reducing wind impact on structures, and contribute to the climate by increasing atmospheric humidity through perspiration/evapotranspiration, influencing rainfall and temperatures.
Gbadamosi urged the adoption of effective strategies to stop destructive human activities like bush burning and deforestation, which he said, contribute to escalating global warming.
He further emphasized the importance of implementing forest management strategies to offer essential ecosystem services, assist local communities, and aid in the global battle against climate change.
The professor of Silviculture and Plant Biotechnology further tressed the significance of putting in place forest management plans to provide crucial ecosystem services, support local communities, and contribute to the worldwide effort to combat climate change.
Gbadamosi advised against the burning of waste materials like refuse, tires, and fuelwood due to the harmful emissions they release into the air, contributing to carbon imbalance, greenhouse gases, and global warming.
He also recommended the need to encourage students to pursue Forestry studies as a career and called for collaboration between national and state governments to revive Nigeria’s inactive paper mills, thus reducing the reliance on imported paper products and keeping capital within the country.Bthe country.