4 ways forest conservation supports climate and business goals

Discover how forest conservation supports business climate goals through carbon reduction, supply chain resilience, and certified sourcing strategies.

August 25, 2025

Forests are among the planet’s most vital ecosystems. Responsible forest management includes conservation—protecting certain areas from illegal activities, managing invasive species, and maintaining their ability to support biodiversity and stabilize the climate.

Understanding why forests are important is key to long-term sustainability. Conservation helps keep ecosystems healthy and ensures the natural resources many businesses depend on remain available long term.

While many efforts focus on public or government-led conservation, businesses also have an important role to play.

Since the turn of the century, the world has lost more than 517 million hectares of tree cover. In turn, this increases climate risk, disrupts supply chains, and raises expectations for corporate responsibility.

Here are four ways forest conservation can drive meaningful progress toward your business’s climate goals.

Understanding how forest conservation connects to business operations can help companies meet their climate goals while contributing to broader environmental progress.

Table of contents:

Reduces global carbon emissions
Strengthens climate strategies
Promotes resilience and long-term performance
Supports evolving expectations and regulations
Key aspects of forest management
What improved forest management looks like
How to integrate forest conservation

1. Reduces global carbon emissions

Forests act as carbon sinks that absorb and store carbon dioxide and play a critical role in minimising global climate change.

According to the World Economic Forum, deforestation and forest degradation account for 15 per cent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions.

When forests are inappropriately cleared or damaged, the carbon they store is released back into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change.

In contrast, intentional and sustainable tree removal, as practiced under FSC standards, helps forests thrive and maintain their carbon sink.

Conserving forests preserves their ability to absorb carbon and maintain ecosystem health.

For companies aiming to meet climate goals, supporting conservation can also help reduce hard-to-measure emissions tied to land use and supply chains.

2. Strengthens climate strategies

Protecting and restoring forests is one of the most effective ways to support climate progress and reinforce why forests matter in long-term sustainability efforts.

Conservation projects, including large-scale restoration, provide science-based targets that complement traditional emissions reductions and help meet broader climate goals.

According to the World Economic Forum, companies adopting nature-positive strategies could unlock 10.1 trillion US dollars (USD) in business value and 395 million jobs by 2030.

Aligning forest conservation with climate strategy shows a deeper commitment to environmental resilience and community impact.

3. Promotes resilience and long-term performance

Over half of global GDP, around USD44 trillion, is at risk due to nature loss and climate disruption. Deforestation and forest degradation are accelerating these impacts, increasing physical and systemic risks for businesses worldwide.

Companies that invest in forest conservation can:

Strengthen resilience across operations: Conservation reduces exposure to regulatory, capital, supply, and demand risks.
Unlock new sources of value and growth: Nature-positive strategies can generate revenue through carbon and biodiversity credits while reducing costs through more sustainable sourcing.
Build trust and attract committed teams: A strong environmental strategy can build customer loyalty and help retain purpose-driven employees. Forest-focused action shows accountability and connections with today’s values-driven workforce and consumers.
Support the broader landscape you operate in: Forest conservation promotes collaboration with local partners, protects ecosystem services, and contributes to the long-term health of the communities and landscapes that supply chains depend on.

Integrating forest conservation into everyday operations helps organisations stay resilient, responsive, and better equipped for a rapidly evolving climate economy.

4. Supports evolving expectations and regulations

Regulatory pressure is rising as governments and international bodies call on businesses to disclose and reduce nature-related impacts. As a result, stakeholders are watching closely.

Recent policies like the EU Deforestation Regulation require greater transparency in how companies source materials and manage environmental risks.

These shifts are reinforced by global initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which call for urgent action to halt deforestation, protect ecosystems, and promote climate resilience.

At the same time, stakeholder expectations are expanding. From institutional investors to local communities, there is growing demand for companies to demonstrate that their environmental goals are tied to real-world outcomes.

Conservation helps companies take action by:

Working with regional partners to co-develop science-based land targets and restoration plans
Engaging with local communities to promote social and economic inclusion where operations take place

n image showing six benefits of forest conservation. — FSC / Jjumba Martin

Key aspects of forest management

Forest conservation requires a combination of strategies that protect, restore, and manage forests over time. These practices reflect the importance of sustainability in keeping ecosystems healthy and resilient.

Key components that form the foundation of responsible forest management include:

Protecting existing forests: Preserving natural forests is essential for climate stability, water regulation, and livelihoods. According to WWF, about one-third of the world’s population relies closely on forests and forest products for daily needs.
Reforestation and afforestation: Planting trees in deforested areas (reforestation) and creating new forested areas (afforestation) help restore carbon sinks, rebuild ecosystems, and prevent land degradation.
Sustainable forest management: Managing forests in a way that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, and regeneration capacity is vital for long-term use. Globally, about 300 million people live in or around forests and depend on them for food, fuel, and income.
Habitat protection: Forests provide shelter and food for countless species. Safeguarding intact forest landscapes helps maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services that humans and wildlife both depend on.
Species conservation: Forests are ecosystems that support roughly 80 per cent of amphibian species, 75 per cent of bird species, and 68 per cent of mammal species worldwide. Protecting forest habitats is key to halting species loss and preserving the things in forests that make them biologically diverse and resilient.

While some limited degradation can occur even under sustainable forest management, FSC standards are designed to minimise these impacts and ensure they are actively monitored, evaluated, and addressed.

Conservation also protects the genetic and structural diversity within forests—maintaining variation in species, tree ages, and forest structures that strengthens ecosystem resilience to pests, diseases, and climate change.

What improved forest management looks like

Sustainable forest management balances environmental, social, and economic needs to ensure forests remain healthy and productive for future generations.

Examples of improved forest management include:

Climate adaptation efforts: FSC®-certified forests often incorporate practices such as planting climate-resilient tree species and adjusting harvest cycles to account for changing growth patterns, rainfall, or pest threats.
Wildfire risk reduction strategies: Some forest managers apply methods like controlled burns or selective thinning to reduce fuel loads and limit the severity of wildfires, protecting both ecosystems and nearby communities.
Indigenous-led stewardship: The FSC Indigenous Foundation partners with Indigenous communities to co-create forest solutions that combine traditional knowledge with certified forest management systems.
Conservation of genetic and structural diversity: FSC-certified forests protect the natural variety of species, ages, and structures within a forest. This diversity helps ecosystems recover from pests, disease, and climate stress, supporting long-term health and productivity.

These approaches demonstrate how modern forest management can support communities and offer practical ways to help the environment through responsible land use.

An image showing how forest conservation integrates across business departments.

How to integrate forest conservation into your business strategy

Integrating forest conservation into your business strategy can strengthen climate action, improve supply chain sustainability, and meet growing stakeholder expectations. Start by identifying how your operations, sourcing, and forest sustainability goals intersect with forest ecosystems.

Integration steps include:

Conduct a forest impact audit: Evaluate how your business relies on forest-linked materials, land use, or supply chain inputs. This helps identify high-risk areas and opportunities for improvement across Scope 3 emissions.
Choose certified, deforestation-free materials: Prioritise responsibly sourced products backed by third-party certifications. Local FSC Team offers verified systems to trace forest materials and reduce deforestation risk.
Make conservation part of procurement and operations: Embed forest stewardship into sourcing policies, supplier selection, and contract terms to align day-to-day decisions with long-term climate and biodiversity targets.
Educate teams on the value of forest stewardship: Build internal awareness of how forests contribute to climate, biodiversity, and business performance. This helps align your organisation around long-term sustainability goals.

Forest conservation is most effective when it’s embedded across departments. These steps can help align sourcing practices with broader efforts to save the Earth and position your business as a leader in nature-positive action.

Build your sustainability strategy with FSC

Forest conservation is a powerful lever for climate action and long-term business resilience. FSC-certified solutions connect your company to responsibly managed forests, helping you align sourcing practices with global sustainability goals.

Explore FSC’s Verified Impact to access data on forest health. The platform helps track progress, reduce Scope 3 emissions, and demonstrate measurable impact across your climate and ESG strategies.

Forest conservation FAQ

Still have questions about how forest conservation fits into climate strategy or responsible business practices? These quick answers cover the basics.

What does forest protection do?

Forest protection keeps ecosystems intact by stopping deforestation and preserving the carbon, biodiversity, and natural resources forests provide.

Ultimately, it helps stabilise the climate and supports the communities that depend on forests every day.

What are forest protection techniques?

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Forest protection can involve restoring damaged areas, maintaining healthy tree cover, or supporting local forest stewards.

In some regions, it also means strengthening legal protections or enforcing sustainable forest management practices that balance ecological health with responsible resource use.

How do businesses protect the forest?

Many businesses start by rethinking how they source forest-based materials.

Choosing certified products, working with trusted partners, or investing in long-term conservation efforts are all ways companies can support healthier forest landscapes.