Finding ways to restore the world's woodlands.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

The world's forests, which cover one-third of Earth's land area, provide us with many essential services. They absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and give us oxygen, limit soil erosion, aid in flood control and aquifer recharge, and host a wealth of biodiversity, points out Lester R. Brown, president of Earth Policy Institute, Washington, D.C. However, as human populations have grown, so, too, have the demands placed on these natural systems. As vast swaths of forests have been cleared for agriculture and development, the use of forest products also has climbed, further increasing pressures on the world's trees.

In 2008, some 3,400,000,000 cubic meters of wood were removed from the world's forests, enough to cover Manhattan nearly 200 feet deep in lumber. More than half of this wood is employed directly as fuel for heating and cooking, while the remaining portion is used for industrial purposes, such as construction lumber or paper production, Brown relates.

Fuelwood dominates wood use in developing regions. Across Asia, 76% of wood cut down is used as fuel. In Africa, fuelwood accounts for 90% of wood removals. Although demand for fuelwood is rising, inexpensive alternative technologies can reverse this trend. In Kenya, for example, two internationally-sponsored projects have distributed thousands of highly efficient cookstoves and solar-powered cookers, which greatly reduce or even eliminate the wood used by a traditional stove. The new stoves can be used for cooking and water purification, and they emit far less pollution, improving local air quality and health.

For industrial wood, explains Brown, where demand around the world is driven by industrial countries, lightening the load depends on wiser use of...