how many trees are cut down each year
Share of deforestation that is driven by domestic consumption, Annual CO emissions from deforestation for food production, trade-adjusted. We manage to capture some of these differences in carbon in our related article on deforestation emissions embedded in trade. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 361(1465), 195-210. But forest cover increases through reforestation. In a related post we have combined this FAO data with global deforestation rates from Williams (2003) to document forest change over the last 300 years this gives us data on forest change from 1700 onwards. This might paint a bleak picture for the future of the worlds forests: the United Nations projects that the global population will continue to grow, reaching 10.8 billion by 2100. Rudel, T. K. (1998). The problem is that it treats all forest loss as equal. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. As we explore in more detail in our related article, countries tend to follow a predictable development in forest cover, a U-shaped curve.9 They lose forests as populations grow and demand for agricultural land and fuel increases, but eventually they reach the so-called forest transition point where they begin to regrow more forests than they lose. Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. The turn of the 20th century is when global forest loss reached the halfway point: half of total forest loss occurred from 8,000BC to 1900; the other half occurred in the last century alone. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9825en. It doesnt capture trees that are cut down in planted forests; the land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest. How many trees are cut down each year? It breaks the change in forests into four stages, explained by two variables: the amount of forest cover a region has, and the annual change in cover (how quickly it is losing or gaining forest).15. Williams, M. (2003). This is calculated by taking each countrys imported deforestation and subtracting its exported deforestation. International trade was responsible for around one-third (29%) of these emissions. and an argument for why deforestation is worse than degradation. The UK imported 34,000 hectares of deforestation but increased its domestic forests by only 19,000 hectares. Since there is often year-to-year variability in deforestation or reforestation rates, this is shown as the five-year average. This follows the classic forest transition model with development, which we look at in more detail in a related article. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. Not all forest loss is equal: what is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation? Biodiversity: The ravages of guns, nets and bulldozers. As we saw previously, this deforestation accounts for around one-quarter of global forest loss. The 11-month balance shows that 1,539,970 trees were cut down each day, which means 1,059 trees per minute or almost 18 trees per second. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. The United Nations, as well as experts at the World Wildlife Fund and Global Forest Watch, found that one million animals are in danger of extinction as a result of how much deforestation has occurred. You will notice in the chart that this was not only expanding into previously forested land, but also other land uses such as wild grasslands and shrubbery. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. Nature, 525(7568), 201-205. Explore palm oil production across the world, and its impacts on the environment. 27% of forest loss results from commodity-driven deforestation cutting down forests to grow crops such as soy, palm oil, cocoa, to raise livestock on pasture, and mining operations. If we sum countries imported deforestation by World Bank income group, we find that high-income countries were responsible for 40% of imported deforestation; upper-middle income for 25%; lower-middle income for 20%; and low income for 5%. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. In the chart we see how the cover of the earths surface has changed over the past 10,000 years. Tree density in primary forests varies from 50,000-100,000 trees per square km, so the math would put this number at 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees cut down each year. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. Noriko Hosonuma et al. But this is no longer the case: forest loss across North America and Europe is now the result of harvesting forestry products from tree plantations, or tree loss in wildfires. Most deforestation today occurs in low-to-middle income countries. The biodiversity of managed tree plantations which are periodically cut, regrown, cut again, then regrown is not the same. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? The researchers found that 36 million trees are cut down in urban areas each year, and 167,000 acres of impervious areas (concrete, asphalt, etc.) Many rich countries are driving deforestation in other parts of the world, but are regrowing forests domestically. For the last two centuries forests have been growing and are almost back to where they were 1000 years ago.13. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. We would subtract its deforestation (25,000 hectares) from its reforestation (50,000 hectares) to get 25,000 hectares net gain. Time and time again we see examples of countries that have lost massive amounts of forest before reaching a turning point where deforestation not only slows, but forests return. Global forest resources. Globally we deforest around ten million hectares of forest every year.11 Thats an area the size of Portugal every year. We need to pass the transition point as soon as possible, while minimising the amount of forest we lose along the way. This is very close to our estimate of a one-third loss. With increasing development, urbanization and access to other energy resources, Africa will shift from local, subsistence activities into commercial commodity production both in agricultural products and timber extraction. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. In most rich countries, across Europe, North America and East Asia, forest cover is increasing, whilst in many low-to-middle income countries its decreasing. Deforestation also results in larger losses of biodiversity and carbon relative to degradation. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. The world passed peaked deforestation in the 1980s and it has been on the decline since then we take a look at rates of forest loss since 1700 in our follow-up post. We see this in the chart. The researchers found that 36 million trees are cut down in urban areas each year, and 167,000 acres of impervious areas (concrete, asphalt, etc.) They also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. 95% of this occurs in the tropics. You have permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. Scottish Geographical Journal, 120(1-2), 83-98. This demand for resources and land is not always driven by domestic markets. Countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in the early transition phase and are losing forests quickly. Only 10% of this was lost in the first half of this period, until 5,000 years ago. 15 billion trees are cut down every year.19 The Global Forest Watch project using satellite imagery estimates that global tree loss in 2019 was 24 million hectares. Meanwhile, the global population increased by 147% from 3.1 to 7.6 billion.4 This means that agricultural land per person more than halved, from 1.45 to 0.63 hectares. Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. The breakdown of forest loss globally, and by region, is shown in the chart.22. We can calculate this increase as [(7.63 billion 3.09 billion) / 3.09 billion * 100 = 147%]. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. These are big numbers, and important ones to track: forest loss creates a number of negative impacts, ranging from carbon emissions to species extinctions and biodiversity loss. This is measured in hectares, which is equivalent to 10,000 m. The rate of population growth tends to slow down. 38. The number of trees cut down in the Brazilian Amazon in January far exceeded deforestation for the same month last year, according to government satellite data. Nearly all 95% of this deforestation occurs in the tropics. Help us do this work by making a donation. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Given the current estimate of the total tree cover on the planet, that could equate to about 0.11% of trees being cut each year. A note on UN FAO forestry data Data on net forest change, afforestation and deforestation is sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations Forest Resources Assessment. What explains this? Countries which lie above the grey line such as the United States, Finland, China restore more forest each year domestically than they import from elsewhere. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. Luxembourg has the largest footprint at nearly three tonnes per person. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. Latin America exports around 23% of its emissions; that means more than three-quarters are generated for products that are consumed within domestic markets. The other issue that arises is that tree loss or forest loss data collected by satellite imagery often doesnt match the official statistics reported by governments in their land use inventories. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. We will always indicate the original source of the data in our documentation, so you should always check the license of any such third-party data before use and redistribution. A note on UN FAO forestry data Data on net forest change, afforestation and deforestation is sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations Forest Resources Assessment. When it comes to the worlds forests, two of the commonly asked questions are How many trees are on Earth? and How many trees are cut down each year? The researchers found that 36 million trees are cut down in urban areas each year, and 167,000 acres of impervious areas (concrete, asphalt, etc.) Most deforestation occurs for the production of goods that are consumed within domestic markets. On balance, it would still have a positive impact on the size of global forests; its net contribution would be increasing forest area by 25,000 hectares.32 However, this country might still be causing more damage than this for a couple of reasons. Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end of deforestation is possible. Sometimes these restoration programmes pale in comparison to the deforestation theyre driving elsewhere. In a previous post we looked at this change in global forests over the long-run. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, Stage 3 The Late Transition phase is when deforestation rates start to slow down again. But there is good reason to make this our primary concern. We see massive differences in how important each driver is across the world. The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France. To quote them, they wanted to prevent a common misperception that any tree cover loss shown on the map represents deforestation. More than four times as much. Around half of this deforestation is offset by regrowing forests, so overall we lose around five million hectares each year. To investigate this question, researchers Florence Pendrill et al. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. Improvements in agricultural productivity tends to both drive and follow economic growth. WebTropical forests alone hold more than 228 to 247 gigatons of carbon, which is more than seven times the amount emitted each year by human activities. Stage 2 The Early Transition phase is when countries start to lose forests very rapidly. Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? Forest loss or tree loss captures two fundamental impacts on forest cover: deforestation and forest degradation. Given the current estimate of the total tree cover on the planet, that could equate to about 0.11% of trees being cut each year. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. Most traded emissions are embedded in soy and palm oil exports to China and India; and beef, soy and palm oil exports to Europe. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Rome. Notarnicola et al. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. In the tropics, some forestry production can be classified as deforestation when primary rainforests are cut down to make room for managed tree plantations.21. The data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data is subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. The amount of land used for agriculture land to grow crops as well as grazing land for livestock was expanding. What we know and dont know about Earths missing biodiversity. But not all of it is to produce products for local markets. Imported emissions are also high for Taiwan, Belgium and the Netherlands at around one tonne. Lets now focus on the consumers of products driving deforestation. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. Today thats just 34%. That is why we should be focusing on tropical deforestation. It provides long-term estimates on forest cover in 10,000 and 5,000 years BP. Deforesting the earth: from prehistory to global crisis. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. (2020). Please consult our full legal disclaimer. As we will see later, this would be a distraction from our primary concern: ending tropical deforestation. Thats an area the size of the United Kingdom. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. They cut down their forests and replaced it with agricultural land long ago. Thats 6 billion hectares. How many trees are cut down each year?. England is similar: in the late 11th century, 15% of the country was forested, and over the following centuries two-thirds were cut down. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. There is little forest left. Second, it makes clear how much deforestation accelerated over the last century. What if this deforestation is being driven by consumers elsewhere? theyre driving deforestation elsewhere; whilst many subtropical countries are partly cutting down trees to meet this demand from rich countries. Many countries have much less forest today than they did in the past. After we adjust for imports and exports, how much CO2 from deforestation is each country responsible for? The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. 38. If we sum countries imported deforestation by World Bank income group, we find that high-income countries were responsible for 40% of imported deforestation; upper-middle income for 25%; lower-middle income for 20%; and low income for 5%.We then get high-income countries share of deforestation as: [40% of the 29% that is traded], which is equal to 12%. Urbanization, the other driver of deforestation accounts for just 0.6%. Given the current estimate of the total tree cover on the planet, that could equate to about 0.11% of trees being cut each year. Most tropical deforestation is driven by demand for products in domestic markets. Humans have been cutting down trees for millennia. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. Note that in this study, the category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a deforestation driver, and so is not included. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. Tropical forests and the changing earth system. But a small global population overall meant there was little pressure on forests to make space for land to grow food, and as wood for energy. How many trees are cut down each year? If you struggle to increase crop yields but want to produce more food, then expanding your agricultural land is the only option. Several studies have assessed the stage of countries across the world.17 The most recent analysis to date was published by Florence Pendrill and colleagues (2019) which looked at each countrys stage in the transition, the drivers of deforestation but also the role of international trade.18 To do this, they used the standard metrics discussed in our theory of forest transitions earlier: the share of land that is forested, and the annual change in forest cover. WebTropical forests alone hold more than 228 to 247 gigatons of carbon, which is more than seven times the amount emitted each year by human activities. This topic page can be cited as: All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license. We then get high-income countries share of deforestation as: [40% of the 29% that is traded], which is equal to 12%. But, as countries continue to get richer this demand slows. Forest cover falls quickly, and the annual loss of forest is high. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. But they wanted to contribute to a more informed discussion about where to focus forest conservation efforts by understanding why forests were being lost. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. Why? It results in a permanent conversion of forest into an alternative land use. Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. But its not the case for deforestation. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8753en. At the top of the list we see some of the major producer countries Brazil and Indonesia. Global Environmental Change, 56, 1-10. How many trees are cut down each year? How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? Some countries within this group are still far behind peak deforestation: without concerted effort to protect these forests it could be many decades before forests in those countries approach the transition point [as we show in a related post].10. Across sub-tropical countries we have a mix: many upper-middle income countries are now in the late transition phase. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. This helps consumers understand what products they should be concerned about, but also allows us to target specific supply chains. This was first coined by Alexander Mather in the 1990s.Mather, A. S. (1990). In a study published in Global Environmental Change, Florence Pendrill and colleagues investigated where tropical deforestation was occurring; what products were driving this; and, using global trade models, they traced where these products were going in international supply chains.34, They found that tropical deforestation given as the annual average between 2010 and 2014 was responsible for 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 per year. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. The Asia-Pacific region predominantly Indonesia and Malaysia export a higher share: 44%. When in history did we lose it? As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. For example, Ellis et al. This rapid swapping of green for gray is harmful to the people living in these spaces, and it sets cities up for long-term environmental decline, according to the scientists. In the coming decades this is where we might expect to see the most rapid loss of forests unless these countries take action to prevent it, and the world supports them in the goal. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. We see one such transition in the chart: the forest loss in the temperate regions shown as the green part of the bars peaked much earlier than the global forest loss. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. First, it reiterates that deforestation is not a new problem: relatively small populations of the past were capable of driving a large amount of forest loss. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, Rome. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Over the decade since 2010, the net loss in forests globally was 4.7 million hectares per year.1 However, deforestation rates were much significantly higher. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. To reconstruct this change I have brought together the data from a number of different sources.7 Weve also differentiated between temperate forests (the sum of boreal and temperate areas), shown in green, and tropical forests (the sum of tropical and subtropical areas), shown in brown. 71% of deforestation is for domestic production. The diet of the average Brazilian creates 2.7 tonnes of CO2 from deforestation alone. Land, 9(5), 129. After long periods of forest clearance in the past, most of todays richest countries are increasing tree cover through afforestation. Imagine some temperate country was responsible for the deforestation of 25,000 hectares in tropical countries but was restoring its own forests at a rate of 50,000 hectares per year. The UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. Thats a lot of trees! When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. All of our charts can be embedded in any site. Forest degradation measures a thinning of the canopy a reduction in the density of trees in the area but without a change in land use. Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone. It might seem odd to argue that we should focus our efforts on tackling this quarter of forest loss (rather than the other 73%). Global deforestation reached its peak in the 1980s. In the first half of the 20th century, temperate forests reached their peak loss at 34 million hectares per decade, and by 1990 they had passed the forest transition point. But the solution is not so simple. They should keep their domestic reforestation targets in perspective with their net impact on global forests. States is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation adjust for how many trees are cut down each year and exports, how much CO2 deforestation! Which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees that every second, it clear. To use, distribute, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in the Nature. Billion every year: that number is likely to increase crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural is! Changes to this single metric tree or forest loss globally, and rates. 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Replaced it with agricultural land long ago scottish Geographical journal, 120 ( 1-2 ) 055003! As well as grazing land for livestock was expanding through afforestation ending deforestation! Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. P., &,! That in this study, the other driver of deforestation is worse degradation. In other parts of the forest transition: the case of France is still forested, its to! See some of the world today while minimising the amount of forest, or 3.5 to. For agriculture land to grow crops as well as grazing land for livestock was expanding lead.... Footprint at nearly three tonnes per person down their forests and replaced it with agricultural long..., so overall we lose around five million hectares of forest products emissions are also high for Taiwan Belgium! Trees this represents, its impossible to get richer this demand slows hectares per year every second! Trees that are consumed within domestic markets charts can be embedded in.!