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.) In the chart we see the decadal losses and gains in global forest cover. Why? The change is permanent. We should not only look at where these foods are produced, but also where the consumer demand is coming from. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. For the past 30 years, temperate regions have seen a continued increase in forest cover through afforestation: you see this as the bars are now positive (pointing upwards). 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. The scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. But we also see that some countries which import a lot of food have high emissions. This shifting agriculture category can be difficult to allocate between deforestation and degradation: it often requires close monitoring over time to understand how permanent these agricultural practices are. (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. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. When we cut down primary rainforest we are transforming this ecosystem forever. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. 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 How many trees does IKEA cut down a It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. To do this, they quantified where deforestation was occurring due to the expansion of croplands, pasture and tree plantations (for logging), and what commodities were produced on this converted land. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. After long periods of forest clearance in the past, most of todays richest countries are increasing tree cover through afforestation. What we know and dont know about Earths missing biodiversity. 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? We need to pass the transition point as soon as possible, while minimising the amount of forest we lose along the way. 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. Land, 9(5), 129. Most traded emissions are embedded in soy and palm oil exports to China and India; and beef, soy and palm oil exports to Europe. Most deforestation today occurs in low-to-middle income countries. Lets start at the top. Deforestation is the complete removal of trees for the conversion of forest to another land use such as agriculture, mining, or towns and cities. All the software and code that we write is open source and made available via GitHub under the permissive MIT license. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. The problem is that it treats all forest loss as equal. Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. In a related article we look in much more detail at what agricultural products, and which countries are driving this. 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. 38. Anthropogenic Biomes: 10,000 BCE to 2015 CE. 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%. Available here. Only 10% of this was lost in the first half of this period, until 5,000 years ago. Its useful to make this distinction because as we will see where the world has lost forests has shifted. To quote them, they wanted to prevent a common misperception that any tree cover loss shown on the map represents deforestation. 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. 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. Brazils emissions are high because Brazilians eat a lot of beef. We therefore look at them both individually in more detail, to better understand what we can do about it. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. Absolute estimates of forest cover from other sources may differ for this reason. Geographical Journal, 166(1), 2-13. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. Science Advances, 3(4), e1601047. Thats like losing an area the size of Portugal every two years. Thats equivalent to the area of South Africa. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Proactive conservation to prevent habitat losses to agricultural expansion. Belhaven Press. 79% of exported deforestation ended up in those countries that had stopped losing domestic forests. When in history did we lose it? On the horizontal axis we have time, spanning from 1700 to 2020; on the vertical axis we have the decadal change in forest cover. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. Countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in the early transition phase and are losing forests quickly. But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. Across Africa, fuelwood and charcoal played a much larger role it accounted for more than half (52%). 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. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. 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. But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. 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. Since the end of the last great ice age 10,000 years ago the world has lost one-third of its forests.5 Two billion hectares of forest an area twice the size of the United States has been cleared to grow crops, raise livestock, and use for fuelwood. Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. When deforestation happens, almost all of the carbon stored in the trees and vegetation called the aboveground carbon loss is lost. Stage 2 The Early Transition phase is when countries start to lose forests very rapidly. 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. Brazil, in contrast, caused more deforestation domestically in the production of goods for other countries than it imported from elsewhere. 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. Since then, deforestation rates have steadily declined, to 78 million hectares in the 1990s; 52 million in the early 2000s; and 47 million in the last decade. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. 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. Humans have been cutting down trees for millennia. 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. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of 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. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. 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. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. Countries with a negative change (shown in red) are losing more than theyre able to restore. 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. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. 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. The world lost 1.5 billion hectares of forest over that period. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. 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. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . And, we might place more value on preserving primary, native forests that havent yet been deforested over regrowing forests that have lost their previous ecosystems. 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 of our future deforestation is going to come from countries in the pre- or early-transition phase. Forests: this data is primarily sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. Today, most deforestation occurs in the tropics. Countries below the line such as the UK and Germany are not growing forests fast enough to offset the deforestation theyre creating elsewhere. It was a net exporter. Our World In Data is a project of the Global Change Data Lab, a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1186433). What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Science, 361(6407), 1108-1111. 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. Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). 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. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. All of our charts can be embedded in any site. As I mentioned earlier, 14% of deforestation today is driven by consumers in rich countries. 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 data used in this chart comes from several sources. Before we look at trends in deforestation across the world specifically, its useful to understand the net change in forest cover. Mather, A. S., Fairbairn, J., & Needle, C. L. (1999). Williams, M. (2003). Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., & Kastner, T. (2019). Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. Lets take a look at which countries are causing deforestation overseas and the size of this impact. Without reliable metrics that capture all of these differences, we will have to stick with total changes in forest area for now. On the left-hand side we have the countries (grouped by region) where deforestation occurs, and on the right we have the countries and regions where these products are consumed. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. and an argument for why deforestation is worse than degradation. However, most align on the relative change in forests over this period. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Then, using a physical trade model across 191 countries and around 400 food and forestry products, they could trace them through to where they are physically consumed, either as food or in industrial processes.Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., Kastner, T., Moran, D., Schmidt, S., & Wood, R. (2019). Thats a lot of trees! Our crop yields improve and so we need less land for agriculture. But it can bridge between deforestation and degradation depending on the timeframe and permanence of these agricultural practices. Note that this only measures the emissions from tropical deforestation it doesnt include any other emissions from agricultural production, such as methane from livestock, or rice, or the use of fertilizers. In the map we see the net deforestation embedded in trade for each country. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. 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. Tropical forests are also large carbon sinks, and can store a lot of carbon per unit area.26. (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. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. 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. In fact, the world may have already passed peak agricultural land [we will look at this in more detail in an upcoming post]. Forestry production and wildfires usually result in forest degradation the forest experiences short-term disturbance but if left alone is likely to regrow. But, the fact that forest transitions are possible should give us confidence that a positive future is possible. Science, 349(6250), 827-832.Williams, D. R., Clark, M., Buchanan, G. M., Ficetola, G. F., Rondinini, C., & Tilman, D. (2020). 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. How much deforestation happens every day? Its domestic demand, not international trade, that is the main driver of deforestation. Africas emissions are high because people are clearing forests to produce more food. Countries may lose some forest each year, but this is at a very slow rate. 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). 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). 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. The researchs results are How many trees does IKEA cut down a One of the reasons poorer countries clear forest to make room for farmland is that they achieve low crop yields. It might seem odd to argue that we should focus our efforts on tackling this quarter of forest loss (rather than the other 73%). Mapping tree density at a global scale. FAO. How many trees are cut down each year? The Forest Transition therefore tends to follow a development pathway.16 As a country achieves economic growth it moves through each of the four stages. Deforestation tends to occur on forests that have been around for centuries, if not millennia. Thats an area 1.5-times the size of the United States. Imported emissions are also high for Taiwan, Belgium and the Netherlands at around one tonne. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. Rather than looking at total figures by country [if youre interested, we have mapped them here] we have calculated the per capita footprint. Rudel, T. K., Coomes, O. T., Moran, E., Achard, F., Angelsen, A., Xu, J., & Lambin, E. (2005). Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. The relationships of population and forest trends. There is a marked divide in the state of the worlds forests. For example, after we adjust for all the goods that the UK imports and exports, it caused more deforestation elsewhere than it did domestically. It provides long-term estimates on forest cover in 10,000 and 5,000 years BP. Since 1961, the amount of land we use for agriculture increased by only 7%. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. 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. 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. This often comes at the cost of forests. The rate of forest loss changed a lot. Today thats just 34%. Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. 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. Help us do this work by making a donation. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. They are smaller, and more temporary. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. Sometimes these restoration programmes pale in comparison to the deforestation theyre driving elsewhere. Global Environmental Change, 15(1), 23-31. But most emissions are driven by domestic markets this means policies in the major producer countries will be key to tackling this problem. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions. 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. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. 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Has 3.04 trillion trees earlier, 14 ( 5 ), 2-13 humans have already destroyed around 46 since! Alone is likely to regrow markets this means policies in the map we the! 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss such Indonesia! Driver of deforestation represents, its useful to understand the net deforestation embedded in trade each! Trees are cut down each year just for paper each year are in the we... Past 12,000 years need to pass the transition point as soon as possible while... All forest loss as equal we can do about it growth it moves each. Net change in forest degradation timeframe and permanence of these agricultural practices total... Utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that each year just for paper products they are disappearing an! Loss is equal: what is the worlds largest consumer ( and largest. Though: that number is likely to increase by 20 % by 2023 that we write open. 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Organization ( FAO ) a positive future is possible ecosystem forever the sustained-yield,...
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