The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. 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. 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.) This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. In the chart we see the comparison between the change in domestic forest area, and deforestation driven by imported goods.33 On the vertical axis we have the domestic change in forest area: this is shown only for countries where the forest area is increasing. Less than one-third (29%) is for the production of goods that are traded. The latter will experience short-term environmental impacts, but will ultimately regrow. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. This is true for some problems, such as climate change. Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. 95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. To put this in perspective, that would be around one-sixth of the total carbon footprint of the average EU diet.36. They are smaller, and more temporary. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. But, understanding the role of deforestation in the products we buy is important. Instead of using wood for fuel we switch to fossil fuels, or hopefully, more renewables and nuclear energy. Forest cover falls quickly, and the annual loss of forest is high. 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. Global Environmental Change, 15(1), 23-31. International trade is important for socioeconomic development. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. As I mentioned earlier, 14% of deforestation today is driven by consumers in rich countries. That these countries have recently regained forests is also visible in the long-term forest trends above. 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. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. Still, more than half of the worlds habitable land was forested. Without reliable metrics that capture all of these differences, we will have to stick with total changes in forest area for now. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. Most tropical deforestation is driven by demand for products in domestic markets. Lets start at the top. I have reconstructed long-term data using various studies which Ive documented here. FAO. But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., & Kastner, T. (2019). But, the fact that forest transitions are possible should give us confidence that a positive future is possible. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each 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. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. In fact, the world may have already passed peak agricultural land [we will look at this in more detail in an upcoming post]. How many trees does IKEA cut down a According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. How many trees are cut down each year? According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. 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]. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. Forest Transitions: why do we lose then regain forests? The rate of population growth tends to slow down. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. 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%. The breakdown of forest loss globally, and by region, is shown in the chart.22. 2020. At this stage, countries are still losing forest each year but at a lower rate than before. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Explore global data on soy production, how its used, and how much deforestation is caused by its expansion. 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. Rome. Brazil and Indonesia alone account for almost half. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. The diet of the average Brazilian creates 2.7 tonnes of CO2 from deforestation alone. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 361(1465), 195-210. But the magnitude of these impacts are often less than the complete conversion of forest. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. 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. 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. 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. How many trees are cut down each year? This is calculated by taking each countrys imported deforestation and subtracting its exported deforestation. The world loses 5 million hectares of forest to deforestation each year. Then things started to speed up. 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. Across sub-tropical countries we have a mix: many upper-middle income countries are now in the late transition phase. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake particularly beef and lamb has the largest impact. 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. 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. This is measured in hectares, which is equivalent to 10,000 m. 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. Rudel, T. K. (1998). It was a net exporter. By the 19th century the forest area was reduced to a third of what it once was. If poorer countries are cutting down forests to make food for rich consumers, then we should just stop trading these goods. Its State of the Worlds Forests report provides estimates of global forest cover today, and rates of change over previous decades. How many trees are cut down 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. Forests, biodiversity and people. 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. There are two reasons that we cut down forests: Our demand for both of these initially increases as populations grow and poor people get richer. Then things started to speed up. 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. Nature, 525(7568), 201-205. Forest loss measures the net change in forest cover: the loss in forests due to deforestation plus any expansion of forest through afforestation.6. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. 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. 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? Data on the annual change in domestic forests is sourced from the UN FAOs Forest Resources Assessment. We can calculate this increase as [(7.63 billion 3.09 billion) / 3.09 billion * 100 = 147%]. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, Mapping tree density at a global scale. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. 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. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. But, as countries continue to get richer this demand slows. There is a geographical argument (why the tropics?) 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. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. We see this in the chart. Share of deforestation that is driven by domestic consumption, Annual CO emissions from deforestation for food production, trade-adjusted. 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. It results in a permanent conversion of forest into an alternative land use. Anthropogenic Biomes: 10,000 BCE to 2015 CE. Lets take a look at which countries are causing deforestation overseas and the size of this impact. Global deforestation reached its peak in the 1980s. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. This diagram is adapted from the work of Hosonuma et al. 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. The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end of deforestation is possible. 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. As we will see later, this is dominated by palm oil exports to Europe, China, India, North America and the Middle East. Rome. Classifying drivers of global forest loss. This highlights an important point: less than 20% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to clean fuels for cooking, meaning they still rely on wood and charcoal. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. (2012).Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). In their analysis of global forest loss, Philip Curtis and colleagues used satellite images to assess where and why the world lost forests between 2001 and 2015. University of Chicago Press. (2012) gathered this data from a range of sources including country submissions as part of their REDD+ readiness activities, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) country profiles, UNFCCC national communications and scientific studies. As we saw previously, this deforestation accounts for around one-quarter of global forest loss. Tropical forests and the changing earth system. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. Deforestation was therefore responsible for [2.6 / 40.2 * 100 = 6.5%]. 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