It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. 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. 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. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. The trees are not expected to regrow. How many trees are cut down each year?. To put this in perspective, that would be around one-sixth of the total carbon footprint of the average EU diet.36. On the x-axis we have imported deforestation. Help us do this work by making a donation. 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. Improvements in agricultural productivity tends to both drive and follow economic growth. 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.) 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. How much do people in rich countries contribute to deforestation overseas? 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. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. In the chart we see the decadal losses and gains in global forest cover. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Global Environmental Change, 15(1), 23-31. Lets start at the top. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. Africa is also different here. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. The taller the bar, the larger the change in forest area. Its useful to make this distinction because as we will see where the world has lost forests has shifted. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. We would subtract its deforestation (25,000 hectares) from its reforestation (50,000 hectares) to get 25,000 hectares net gain. The breakdown of forest loss globally, and by region, is shown in the chart.22. 95% of this occurs in the tropics. How many trees does IKEA cut down a To understand this more recent loss of forest, lets zoom in on the last 300 years. Habitat loss is the leading driver of global biodiversity loss.25 When we cut down rainforests we are destroying the habitats of many unique species, and reshaping these ecosystems permanently. How many trees are cut down each year? The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. When we cut down primary rainforest we are transforming this ecosystem forever. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? After long periods of forest clearance in the past, most of todays richest countries are increasing tree cover through afforestation. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. In the figure we see visual examples from the study of forest loss classification by Philip Curtis et al. Thats a lot of trees! Centuries ago it was mainly temperate regions that were driving global deforestation [we take a look at this longer history of deforestation in a related article]. Less than one-third (29%) is for the production of goods that are traded. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. At the beginning of this phase, the forest area is at its lowest point. Noriko Hosonuma et al. Deforestation rates accelerated. For example, Ellis et al. The UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. FAO. Estimates vary, but most date the end of the last great ice age to around 11,700 years ago.Kump, L. R., Kasting, J. F., & Crane, R. G. (2004). See the distribution of global forests and which countries have the most forest cover. More than four times as much. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Many countries have much less forest today than they did in the past. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. (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. Forestry production and wildfires usually result in forest degradation the forest experiences short-term disturbance but if left alone is likely to regrow. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. For example, after we adjust for all the goods that the UK imports and exports, it caused more deforestation elsewhere than it did domestically. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. What this showed was that although humans have been deforesting the planet for millennia, the rate of forest loss accelerated rapidly in the last few centuries. 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? 38. Brazil, for example, went through a period of very rapid deforestation in the 1980s and 90s (its early transition phase) but its losses have slowed, meaning it is now in the late transition. 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 of todays richest countries all of Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea have passed the turning point and are now regaining forest. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. 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. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. 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. Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone. Luxembourg has the largest footprint at nearly three tonnes per person. Why should we care most about tropical deforestation? Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. Available here. As of 2020, the UN estimates the planet is losing over 7,000,000 hectares per year to deforestation.27Between 1990 and 2015, the world lost 129 million hectares of forest an area about the size of South Africa.11 Natural forests lost by continent9include: Africa 3.2 million hectares The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. (2020). The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. This is measured in hectares, which is equivalent to 10,000 m. 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. The net change in forest cover measures any gains in forest cover either through natural forest expansion or afforestation through tree-planting minus deforestation. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? We know where deforestation emissions are occurring, and where this demand is coming from. Pre-1961 land use is sourced from the work of Ellis et al. 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. (2017). It was a net importer. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. 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. Types and rates of forest disturbance in Brazilian Legal Amazon, 20002013. 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. Humans have been cutting down trees for millennia. We see very clearly that the large Brazilian footprint is driven by its domestic demand for beef. 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. This is also true for major economies such as China and India. But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. Around half of this deforestation is offset by regrowing forests, so overall we lose around five million hectares each year. Year-to-year data on forest change comes with several issues: either data at this resolution is not available, or year-to-year changes can be highly variable. As of 2020, the UN estimates the planet is losing over 7,000,000 hectares per year to deforestation.27Between 1990 and 2015, the world lost 129 million hectares of forest an area about the size of South Africa.11 Natural forests lost by continent9include: Africa 3.2 million hectares Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. 38. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. We can calculate this increase as [(7.63 billion 3.09 billion) / 3.09 billion * 100 = 147%]. 71% of this is driven by demand in domestic markets, and the remaining 29% for the production of products that are traded. They first lose lots of forest, but reach a turning point and begin to regain it again. Our crop yields improve and so we need less land for agriculture. Mather, A. S. (2004). When we treat these impacts equally we make it difficult to prioritize our efforts in the fight against deforestation. In 2012 the mid-year of this period global emissions from fossil fuels, industry and land use change was 40.2 billion tonnes. The scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. In the chart we see how the cover of the earths surface has changed over the past 10,000 years. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, 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. If we sum countries imported deforestation by World Bank income group, we find that high-income countries were responsible for 14% of imported deforestation; upper-middle income for 52%; lower-middle income for 23%; and low income for 11%. (2018), published in Science.20, Commodity-driven deforestation and urbanization are deforestation: the forested land is completely cleared and converted into another land use a farm, mining site, or city. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. How many trees are cut down each year? Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). Cuaresma, J. C., Danylo, O., Fritz, S., McCallum, I., Obersteiner, M., See, L., & Walsh, B. The amount of land per person that was needed to produce enough food was not small in fact, it was much larger than today. 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