The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. 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. The diet of the average Brazilian creates 2.7 tonnes of CO2 from deforestation alone. For the last two centuries forests have been growing and are almost back to where they were 1000 years ago.13. The consumption choices of people in these countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the world. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(9), 501-510. 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. 1000 years ago, 20% of Scotlands land was covered by forest. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Within this global aggregated trend there are many forest transitions at local, national or regional levels occurring. Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. But the magnitude of these impacts are often less than the complete conversion of forest. In the figure we see visual examples from the study of forest loss classification by Philip Curtis et al. The turn of the 20th century is when global forest loss reached the halfway point: half of total forest loss occurred from 8,000BC to 1900; the other half occurred in the last century alone. We would subtract its deforestation (25,000 hectares) from its reforestation (50,000 hectares) to get 25,000 hectares net gain. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Forest cover falls quickly, and the annual loss of forest is high. FAO. Moving into the 20th century there was a stepwise change in demand for agricultural land and energy from wood. 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 State of the Worlds Forests 2020. You will notice in the chart that this was not only expanding into previously forested land, but also other land uses such as wild grasslands and shrubbery. This is probably less than many people would expect. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. There is a marked divide in the state of the worlds forests. 2020. You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. 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. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. You have permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. Thats an area 1.5-times the size of the United States. The net change in forest cover measures any gains in forest cover either through natural forest expansion or afforestation through tree-planting minus deforestation. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of How much deforestation happens every day? University of Chicago Press. Why? Forestry Commission. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. Across temperate forests the world gained 6 million hectares in the last decade. It was a net exporter. 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. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of The average across the EU was 0.3 tonnes CO2 per person. 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]. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. Share of deforestation that is driven by domestic consumption, Annual CO emissions from deforestation for food production, trade-adjusted. Thats a lot of trees! And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. More than four times as much. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. This map shows the net change in forest cover across the world. 79% of exported deforestation ended up in those countries that had stopped losing domestic forests. Then things started to speed up. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . This is shortly after the end of the last great ice age, through to the present day.2. 432). 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. Can we bring it to an end? Nature Sustainability, 1-9. The same is true of the United States; back in 1630 46% of the area of todays USA was covered by forest. The world loses 5 million hectares of forest to deforestation each year. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 361(1465), 195-210. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. This often comes at the cost of forests. Today, most deforestation occurs in the tropics. In a related article we look in much more detail at what agricultural products, and which countries are driving this. But international markets alone cannot fix this problem. How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. If we can identify the producer countries, importing countries, and specific products responsible, we can direct our efforts towards interventions that will really make a difference. This explains historical trends we see for countries across the world today. Crowther, T. W., Glick, H. B., Covey, K. R., Bettigole, C., Maynard, D. S., Thomas, S. M., & Tuanmu, M. N. (2015). This helps consumers understand what products they should be concerned about, but also allows us to target specific supply chains. Still, more than half of the worlds habitable land was forested. Thats around half the size of Germany. Mather refers to an annual loss of less than 0.25% as a small loss. 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 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. How many trees have been cut down? 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. Whether we look at the distribution of endemic mammal species, bird species, or amphibian species, the map is the same: subtropical countries are packed with unique wildlife. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. In the map we see the net deforestation embedded in trade for each country. By Georgina Rannard. Just over one-quarter of global forest loss is driven by deforestation. Our crop yields improve and so we need less land for agriculture. 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. How much forest has the world lost? How many trees are cut down each year? Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. Mather, A. S., Fairbairn, J., & Needle, C. L. (1999). A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. It assumes the impact of clearing primary rainforest in the Amazon to produce soybeans is the same as logging planted forests in the UK. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9825en. To quote them, they wanted to prevent a common misperception that any tree cover loss shown on the map represents deforestation. Not all forest is equal. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. 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. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. Not only would this be bad for people, it might also be bad for forests. If you struggle to increase crop yields but want to produce more food, then expanding your agricultural land is the only option. The amount of land used for agriculture land to grow crops as well as grazing land for livestock was expanding. Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake particularly beef and lamb has the largest impact. See which countries are gaining forest though natural forest expansion and afforestation. Help us do this work by making a donation. Half of global forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900; the other half was lost in the last century alone. 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. Science, 349(6250), 827-832.Williams, D. R., Clark, M., Buchanan, G. M., Ficetola, G. F., Rondinini, C., & Tilman, D. (2020). 71% of deforestation is for domestic production. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. 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. In the chart we see deforestation emissions per person, measured in tonnes of CO2 per year. Most emissions 71% came from foods consumed in the country that they were produced. The rate of forest loss changed a lot. But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. For example, the US imported 64,000 hectares of deforested land, but increased its domestic forest area by 275,000 hectares. But urban land accounts for just 1% of global habitable land. Rudel, T. K. (1998). 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. How many trees does IKEA cut down a The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. By Georgina Rannard. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? 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. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. How many trees are cut down each year? One option is to adopt stricter guidelines on what suppliers to source from, and implementing zero-deforestation policies that stop the trade of goods that have been produced on deforested land. In the chart we see how emissions from tropical deforestation are distributed through international supply chains. 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. As we saw previously, this deforestation accounts for around one-quarter of global forest loss. Deforestation tends to occur on forests that have been around for centuries, if not millennia. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. Hosonuma et al. How many trees does IKEA cut down a We see very clearly that the large Brazilian footprint is driven by its domestic demand for beef. 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. 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? This is because the latter only captures deforestation the replacement of forest with another land use (such as cropland). And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. What explains this? Many countries have not only ended deforestation, but actually achieved substantial reforestation. What activities are driving this? The default is shown for Brazil, but you can explore the data for a range of countries using the Change country button. But, as countries continue to get richer this demand slows. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. Cuaresma, J. C., Danylo, O., Fritz, S., McCallum, I., Obersteiner, M., See, L., & Walsh, B. They cut down their forests and replaced it with agricultural land long ago. 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. 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. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? Over half of the worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in a single country. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. Latin America exports around 23% of its emissions; that means more than three-quarters are generated for products that are consumed within domestic markets. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. International trade is important for socioeconomic development. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. As I mentioned earlier, 14% of deforestation today is driven by consumers in rich countries. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. But there are real reasons to believe that this century doesnt have to replicate the destruction of the last one. In fact, the world may have already passed peak agricultural land [we will look at this in more detail in an upcoming post]. Today thats just 34%. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . 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. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. and an argument for why deforestation is worse than degradation. But we should keep these important aspects in mind when comparing forest losses and gains. 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. 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). Web42 million trees are cut down each day. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. Since three-quarters of tropical deforestation is driven by agriculture, thats a valid concern. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Its useful to make this distinction because as we will see where the world has lost forests has shifted. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. 14% of deforestation is driven by consumers in the worlds richest countries we import beef, vegetable oils, cocoa, coffee and paper that has been produced on deforested land.12. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. 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. After seeing this data, people might argue that we should cut back on trade. Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. This is measured in hectares, which is equivalent to 10,000 m. Scottish Geographical Journal, 120(1-2), 83-98. 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. Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Forest Transitions: why do we lose then regain forests? The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. 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. This was first coined by Alexander Mather in the 1990s.Mather, A. S. (1990). Countries which lie above the grey line such as the United States, Finland, China restore more forest each year domestically than they import from elsewhere. Data on the annual change in domestic forests is sourced from the UN FAOs Forest Resources Assessment. The researchs results are University of Chicago Press.FAO (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. 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