The breakdown of forest loss globally, and by region, is shown in the chart.22. 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 To understand this more recent loss of forest, lets zoom in on the last 300 years. This might put the responsibility for ending deforestation solely on tropical countries. In contrast, most forest degradation two-thirds of it occurs in temperate countries. But then the trend turned, and it moved from deforestation to reforestation. 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. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. 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. In the chart here we see the breakdown of deforestation emissions by product for each consumer country. Since three-quarters of tropical deforestation is driven by agriculture, thats a valid concern. Net forest loss is not the same as deforestation it measures deforestation plus any gains in forest over a given period. 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.) 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. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. How many trees does IKEA cut down a The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. We manage to capture some of these differences in carbon in our related article on deforestation emissions embedded in trade. If we add 0.3 tonnes to this figure, deforestation would account for around one-sixth [0.3 / (1.5+0.3) * 100 = 17%].Notarnicola, B., Tassielli, G., Renzulli, P. A., Castellani, V., & Sala, S. (2017). For example, the US imported 64,000 hectares of deforested land, but increased its domestic forest area by 275,000 hectares. 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. Stage 3 The Late Transition phase is when deforestation rates start to slow down again. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . Most emissions 71% came from foods consumed in the country that they were produced. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. On the x-axis we have imported deforestation. In the chart we see historical reconstructions of country-level data on the share of land covered by forest (over decades, centuries or even millennia depending on the country). 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. Historical data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams book, Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis. Across sub-tropical countries we have a mix: many upper-middle income countries are now in the late transition phase. 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. 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. But urban land accounts for just 1% of global habitable land. 71% of deforestation is for domestic production. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions. But it was then that England reached its transition point and since then, forests have doubled in size. Note that in this study, the category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a deforestation driver, and so is not included. 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. Thats an area the size of the United Kingdom. Before we look at trends in deforestation across the world specifically, its useful to understand the net change in forest cover. 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. Explore palm oil production across the world, and its impacts on the environment. Data from 1990 onwards is sourced from the UNs 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020.References:Williams, M. (2003). It will be possible for our generation to achieve the same on the global scale and bring the 10,000 year history of forest loss to an end. 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%. Half of global forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900; the other half was lost in the last century alone. The annual change is now positive. Less than one-third (29%) is for the production of goods that are traded. When we cut down primary rainforest we are transforming this ecosystem forever. Is there a forest transition? According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. Across the US and Europe the breakdown of products is more varied. 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. University of Chicago Press.FAO (2020). We see massive differences in how important each driver is across the world. 95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. This means interventions at the national-level will be key: this can include a range of solutions including policies such as Brazils soy moratorium, the REDD+ programme to compensate for the opportunity costs of preserving these forests, and improvements in agricultural productivity so countries can continue to produce more food on less land. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. Rudel, T. K. (1998). 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. 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. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. The world loses almost six million hectares of forest each year to deforestation. Thats 6 billion hectares. In the map we see their assessment of each countrys stage in the transition. There is a marked divide in the state of the worlds forests. On balance, they add to the global forest stock. Rural Sociology, 63(4), 533-552. Forestry production and wildfires usually result in forest degradation the forest experiences short-term disturbance but if left alone is likely to regrow. Most traded emissions are embedded in soy and palm oil exports to China and India; and beef, soy and palm oil exports to Europe. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Available here. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. You see that of the 14.9 billion hectares of land on the planet, only 71% of it is habitable the other 29% is either covered by ice and glaciers, or is barren land such as deserts, salt flats, or dunes. Global forest resources. 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.) 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? 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. Mapping tree density at a global scale. 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. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? This means they were responsible for 12% of global deforestation.31 It is therefore true that rich countries are causing deforestation in poorer countries. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. 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. Not all forest is equal. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. 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. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. International trade is important for socioeconomic development. Most of todays richest countries all of Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea have passed the turning point and are now regaining forest. 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. In China, the biggest driver is demand for oilseeds which is the combination of soy imported from Latin America and palm oil, imported from Indonesia and Malaysia. The history of deforestation is a tragic one, in which we not only lost these wild and beautiful landscapes but also the wildlife within them. Improvements in agricultural productivity tends to both drive and follow economic growth. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? How much deforestation happens every day? Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. 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. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Data on net forest change, afforestation and deforestation is sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations Forest Resources Assessment. This is nearly always true of planted forests in temperate regions there, planted forests are long-established and do not replace primary existing forests. Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S. L., & Laurance, W. F. (2012). Over half of the worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in a single country. 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. Can we bring it to an end? 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. Deforestation was therefore responsible for [2.6 / 40.2 * 100 = 6.5%]. This map shows the net change in forest cover across the world. Since 1961, the amount of land we use for agriculture increased by only 7%. 432). In the chart we see how the cover of the earths surface has changed over the past 10,000 years. Which countries are gaining, and which are losing forest? The grey line marks where the area of domestic regrowth of forests is exactly equal to imported deforestation. 38. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. If you struggle to increase crop yields but want to produce more food, then expanding your agricultural land is the only option. This demand for resources and land is not always driven by domestic markets. The scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. 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