Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . are added every year. In Latin America and Southeast Asia in particular, commodity-driven deforestation mainly the clearance of forests to grow crops such as palm oil and soy, and pasture for beef production accounts for almost two-thirds of forest loss. 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. Thats a lot of trees! Thats 6 billion hectares. Explore more of our work on Forests and Deforestation, Anthropogenic Biomes: 10,000 BCE to 2015 CE, The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France, The relationships of population and forest trends, An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries, Increasing human dominance of tropical forests, Proactive conservation to prevent habitat losses to agricultural expansion, Forest transition theory and the reforesting of Scotland, Is there a forest transition? Countries that lie along this line would have a net-neutral impact on global forests: the area they are causing to deforestation overseas is exactly as large as the area they are regrowing at home. Thats an area 1.5-times the size of the United States. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? The world loses 5 million hectares of forest to deforestation each year. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. This increase was mostly driven by tropical deforestation as countries across Asia and Latin America followed the path of Europe and North America. Noriko Hosonuma et al. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. We therefore look at them both individually in more detail, to better understand what we can do about it. The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. 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. The bar chart just below shows the earths surface cover just after the end of the last ice age.3 10,000 years ago 57% of the worlds habitable land was covered by forest. 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. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. (2020). It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? Hence, we should keep in mind that forest area is not the only aspect that matters where that forest is and how rich in life it is matters too. Since three-quarters of tropical deforestation is driven by agriculture, thats a valid concern. In a previous article I showed that the types of food you eat matter much more for your carbon footprint than where it comes from this is because transport usually makes up a small percentage of your foods emissions, even if it comes from the other side of the world. More than four times as much. If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. Approximately 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are being cut each year according to a report referenced on the Rainforest Action Networks website (RAN) and other publications. See which countries are gaining forest though natural forest expansion and afforestation. The Earth System (Vol. 38. Its State of the Worlds Forests report provides estimates of global forest cover today, and rates of change over previous decades. 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. But there is good reason to make this our primary concern. Lets take a look at which countries are causing deforestation overseas and the size of this impact. Countries may lose some forest each year, but this is at a very slow rate. At the top of the list we see some of the major producer countries Brazil and Indonesia. Tropical forests and the changing earth system. 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. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of Web42 million trees are cut down each day. Estimates vary, but on average only 10-20% of carbon is lost during logging, and 10-30% from fires.27 In a study of logging practices in the Amazon and Congo, forests retained 76% of their carbon stocks shortly after logging.28 Logged forests recover their carbon over time, as long as the land is not converted to other uses (which is what happens in the case of deforestation). Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. 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. In a previous post we looked at this change in global forests over the long-run. Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. 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. Globally we deforest around ten million hectares of forest every year.11 Thats an area the size of Portugal every year. The taller the bar, the larger the change in forest area. Approximately 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are being cut each year according to a report referenced on the Rainforest Action Networks website (RAN) and other publications. When we cut down primary rainforest we are transforming this ecosystem forever. Science Advances, 3(4), e1601047. Cuaresma, J. C., Danylo, O., Fritz, S., McCallum, I., Obersteiner, M., See, L., & Walsh, B. 71% of deforestation is for domestic production. Humanitys biggest footprint is due to what we eat, not where we live. Since year-to-year changes in forest cover can be volatile, the UN FAO provide this annual data averaged over five-year periods. Brazils emissions are high because Brazilians eat a lot of beef. The UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. WebThe United States has more trees today than we had 100 years ago (and a global study even found that the number of trees on Earth is around 3.04 trillion, a much higher number than previously believed.) Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone. Half of global forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900; the other half was lost in the last century alone. The scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. Brazil and Indonesia alone account for almost half. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of Today thats just 34%. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. An area the size of the United States. But there are real reasons to believe that this century doesnt have to replicate the destruction of the last one. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? This helps consumers understand what products they should be concerned about, but also allows us to target specific supply chains. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. Rome. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. From the chart we see that this was driven by the continued expansion of land for agriculture. Ellis, E. C., Beusen, A. H., & Goldewijk, K. K. (2020). The biodiversity of managed tree plantations which are periodically cut, regrown, cut again, then regrown is not the same. If we look at where countries are in their transition today we can understand where we expect to lose and gain forest in the coming decades. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Since agriculture is responsible for 60 to 80% of it, what we eat, where its sourced from, and how it is produced is our strongest lever to bring deforestation to an end. 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. Although there is some year-to-year variability [you can explore the data use the timeline on the bottom of the chart from 2005 to 2013] we see a reasonably consistent divide: most countries across Europe and North America are net importers of deforestation i.e. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. They first lose lots of forest, but reach a turning point and begin to regain it again. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. Licenses: All visualizations, data, and articles produced by Our World in Data are open access under the Creative Commons BY license. Note that in this study, the category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a deforestation driver, and so is not included. 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. This is calculated by taking each countrys imported deforestation and subtracting its exported deforestation. The UK imported 34,000 hectares of deforestation but increased its domestic forests by only 19,000 hectares. 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? But it can bridge between deforestation and degradation depending on the timeframe and permanence of these agricultural practices. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. (2017). Cutting them down disrupts or destroys established, species-rich ecosystems. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. In the chart here we see the breakdown of deforestation emissions by product for each consumer country. There are other aspects to consider. Lets start at the top. Science, 349(6250), 827-832.Williams, D. R., Clark, M., Buchanan, G. M., Ficetola, G. F., Rondinini, C., & Tilman, D. (2020). The changes to the forest are often temporary and its expected that they will regrow. The first step in doing this is for rich countries to monitor their deforestation impacts overseas more closely. Lets put some numbers to them. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. Which countries are gaining, and which are losing forest? (2012).Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). Not all forest loss is equal: what is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation? 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. Science, 361(6407), 1108-1111. At their Global Forest Watch platform they were already presenting maps of forest loss across the world. Deforestation, reforestation, and development, Forest transitions: towards a global understanding of land use change, Economic development and forest cover: evidence from satellite data, Deforestation displaced: trade in forest-risk commodities and the prospects for a global forest transition, Classifying drivers of global forest loss, What we know and dont know about Earths missing biodiversity, Biodiversity: The ravages of guns, nets and bulldozers, Tropical forests and the changing earth system, Types and rates of forest disturbance in Brazilian Legal Amazon, 20002013, Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions, Environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe. But international markets alone cannot fix this problem. It might seem odd to argue that we should focus our efforts on tackling this quarter of forest loss (rather than the other 73%). The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end of deforestation is possible. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, What activities are driving this? Since there is often year-to-year variability in deforestation or reforestation rates, this is shown as the five-year average. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. Population growth meant that todays rich countries across Europe and North America needed more and more resources such as land for agriculture, wood for energy, and for construction.8. For this reason, data sources including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization tend to aggregate annual losses as the average over five-year or decadal periods. Crowther, T. W., Glick, H. B., Covey, K. R., Bettigole, C., Maynard, D. S., Thomas, S. M., & Tuanmu, M. N. (2015). The grey line marks where the area of domestic regrowth of forests is exactly equal to imported deforestation. Scottish Geographical Journal, 120(1-2), 83-98. Williams, M. (2003). The world loses almost six million hectares of forest each year to deforestation. Imported emissions are also high for Taiwan, Belgium and the Netherlands at around one tonne. In just over 100 years the world lost as much forest as it had in the previous 9,000 years. Lets now focus on the consumers of products driving deforestation. Degradation drivers, including logging and especially wildfires can definitely have major impacts on forest health: animal populations decline, trees can die, and CO2 is emitted. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. 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. 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. Tropical forests are also large carbon sinks, and can store a lot of carbon per unit area.26. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. There is a geographical argument (why the tropics?) We see massive differences in how important each driver is across the world. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. 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? By 1900, there were 1.65 billion people in the world (five times fewer than we have today) but for most of the previous period, humans were deforesting the world with only tens or hundreds of millions. Absolute estimates of forest cover from other sources may differ for this reason. Loss of Biodiversity: Forests are the only liveable habitat for a variety of species around the globe many of which have not even have been discovered. Latin America exports around 23% of its emissions; that means more than three-quarters are generated for products that are consumed within domestic markets. 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. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. But its not the case for deforestation. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. If we want to end deforestation we need to understand where and why its happening; where countries are within their transition; and what can be done to accelerate their progress through it. The amount of land used for agriculture land to grow crops as well as grazing land for livestock was expanding. Since 1961, the amount of land we use for agriculture increased by only 7%. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. This often comes at the cost of forests. From 1700 to 1850, 19 million hectares were being cleared every decade. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. At this stage, countries are still losing forest each year but at a lower rate than before. Loss of Biodiversity: Forests are the only liveable habitat for a variety of species around the globe many of which have not even have been discovered. (2019) quantified the deforestation embedded in traded goods between countries.30 They did this by calculating the amount of deforestation associated with specific food and forestry products, and combining it with a trade model. From this understanding we can define five reasons why we lose forests: Thanks to satellite imagery, we can get a birds-eye view of what these drivers look like from above. Instead of using wood for fuel we switch to fossil fuels, or hopefully, more renewables and nuclear energy. If poorer countries are cutting down forests to make food for rich consumers, then we should just stop trading these goods. Many countries have much less forest today than they did in the past. It was predominantly temperate forests that were being lost at this time. We can illustrate this through the so-called Forest Transition Model.14 This is shown in the chart. The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France. (2010) looked at the primary drivers of deforestation and degradation across tropical and subtropical countries specifically.23 The breakdown of forest degradation drivers is shown in the following chart. Deforestation, reforestation, and development. How do these two measures compare? Net forest loss is not the same as deforestation it measures deforestation plus any gains in forest over a given period. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8753en. Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions. 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%. Nearly all 95% of this deforestation occurs in the tropics. Tropical forests, on aggregate, have also passed peak deforestation in the 1980s the longest of all bars but have not passed the transition to reforestation. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. Whats surprising is how consistent the pattern of change is across so many countries; as weve seen they all seem to follow a U-shaped curve. If you struggle to increase crop yields but want to produce more food, then expanding your agricultural land is the only option. The average across the EU was 0.3 tonnes CO2 per person. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. It doesnt capture trees that are cut down in planted forests; the land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. Many people think of environmental concerns as a modern issue: humanitys destruction of nature and ecosystems as a result of very recent population growth and increasing consumption. Explore palm oil production across the world, and its impacts on the environment. 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