how many trees are cut down each year

To investigate this question, researchers Florence Pendrill et al. However, most align on the relative change in forests over this period. 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. This is very close to our estimate of a one-third loss. 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.) Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. By the mid-18th century, only 4% of the country was forested. 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. The diet of the average Brazilian creates 2.7 tonnes of CO2 from deforestation alone. Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S. L., & Laurance, W. F. (2012). Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. But there is good reason to make this our primary concern. 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. Weve seen the five key drivers of forest loss. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . They also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries. Sometimes these restoration programmes pale in comparison to the deforestation theyre driving elsewhere. International trade is important for socioeconomic development. (2020). 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]. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. 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. How many trees are cut down each year?. 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. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. And with the growth of technological innovations such as lab-grown meat and substitute products, there is the real possibility that we can continue to enjoy meat or meat-like foods while freeing up the massive amounts of land we use to raise livestock. Over the decade since 2010, the net loss in forests globally was 4.7 million hectares per year.1 However, deforestation rates were much significantly higher. In the chart we see deforestation emissions per person, measured in tonnes of CO2 per year. The biodiversity of managed tree plantations which are periodically cut, regrown, cut again, then regrown is not the same. 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. 95% of this occurs in the tropics. Geographical Journal, 166(1), 2-13. are added every year. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. Then things started to speed up. 432). 1000 years ago, 20% of Scotlands land was covered by forest. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. At the beginning of this phase, the forest area is at its lowest point. For example, after we adjust for all the goods that the UK imports and exports, it caused more deforestation elsewhere than it did domestically. The world has lost one-third of its forest an area twice the size of the United States. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. 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. Deforestation is the complete removal of trees for the conversion of forest to another land use such as agriculture, mining, or towns and cities. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. 2020. 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 rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. Across the US and Europe the breakdown of products is more varied. From the chart we see that this was driven by the continued expansion of land for agriculture. Over half of the worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in a single country. 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.) Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. When in history did we lose it? Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, 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). That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. Williams, M. (2003). Tropical forests are often more productive than temperate forests, meaning they store more carbon. Thats an area 1.5-times the size of the United States. But it can bridge between deforestation and degradation depending on the timeframe and permanence of these agricultural practices. Its State of the Worlds Forests report provides estimates of global forest cover today, and rates of change over previous decades. How much forest has the world lost? In the chart here we see the breakdown of deforestation emissions by product for each consumer country. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Science Advances, 3(4), e1601047. On balance, they add to the global forest stock. 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? This was first coined by Alexander Mather in the 1990s.Mather, A. S. (1990). As we will see later, this is dominated by palm oil exports to Europe, China, India, North America and the Middle East. Nature Sustainability, 1-9. The scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. Licenses: All visualizations, data, and articles produced by Our World in Data are open access under the Creative Commons BY license. After long periods of forest clearance in the past, most of todays richest countries are increasing tree cover through afforestation. Forest cover falls quickly, and the annual loss of forest is high. Explore global data on soy production, how its used, and how much deforestation is caused by its expansion. are added every year. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? Nature, 536(7615), 143. 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%.We then get high-income countries share of deforestation as: [40% of the 29% that is traded], which is equal to 12%. Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. But there are real reasons to believe that this century doesnt have to replicate the destruction of the last one. Another way that richer countries can contribute is by investing in technologies such as improved seed varieties, fertilizers and agricultural practices that allow farmers to increase yields. The remaining 73% came from the three drivers of forest degradation: logging of forestry products from plantations (26%); shifting, local agriculture (24%); and wildfires (23%). Web42 million trees are cut down each day. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. Deforestation displaced: trade in forest-risk commodities and the prospects for a global forest transition. Many farmers rely on international buyers to earn a living and improve their livelihoods. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. Most deforestation today occurs in low-to-middle income countries. 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.) Mapping tree density at a global scale. Forests, biodiversity and people. In just over 100 years the world lost as much forest as it had in the previous 9,000 years. This emphasises two important points. 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. Global deforestation reached its peak in the 1980s. 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. Help us do this work by making a donation. See which countries are gaining forest though natural forest expansion and afforestation. Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). 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. Forests: this data is primarily sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). But, understanding the role of deforestation in the products we buy is important. Forest loss or tree loss captures two fundamental impacts on forest cover: deforestation and forest degradation. Then things started to speed up. In the article we will look at the reasons we lose forest; how these can be differentiated in a useful way; and what this means for understanding our priorities in tackling forest loss. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. 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. That these countries have recently regained forests is also visible in the long-term forest trends above. But most emissions are driven by domestic markets this means policies in the major producer countries will be key to tackling this problem. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Our crop yields improve and so we need less land for agriculture. 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. University of Chicago Press.FAO (2020). [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. The change is temporary. Africa is also an outlier as a result of how many people still rely on wood as their primary energy source. The story of both soy and palm oil are complex and its not obvious that eliminating these products will fix the problem. Noriko 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 amount of land per person that was needed to produce enough food was not small in fact, it was much larger than today. I have reconstructed long-term data using various studies which Ive documented here. Forests are mainly cut and burned to make space for local, subsistence agriculture or for fuelwood for energy. But they wanted to contribute to a more informed discussion about where to focus forest conservation efforts by understanding why forests were being lost. That was 6.5% of global CO2 emissions.35. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. They are smaller, and more temporary. This is shortly after the end of the last great ice age, through to the present day.2. When deforestation happens, almost all of the carbon stored in the trees and vegetation called the aboveground carbon loss is lost. But forest cover increases through reforestation. Global forest resources. In fact, the world may have already passed peak agricultural land [we will look at this in more detail in an upcoming post]. The world loses almost six million hectares of forest each year to deforestation. Why should we care most about tropical deforestation? Some of the worlds poorest countries are still in the pre-transition phase. How do these two measures compare? This diagram is adapted from the work of Hosonuma et al. 71% of this is driven by demand in domestic markets, and the remaining 29% for the production of products that are traded. How much deforestation happens every day? The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. By the 19th century the forest area was reduced to a third of what it once was. Scottish Geographical Journal, 120(1-2), 83-98. 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 It assumes the impact of clearing primary rainforest in the Amazon to produce soybeans is the same as logging planted forests in the UK. For example, the US imported 64,000 hectares of deforested land, but increased its domestic forest area by 275,000 hectares. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. In Latin America and Southeast Asia in particular, commodity-driven deforestation mainly the clearance of forests to grow crops such as palm oil and soy, and pasture for beef production accounts for almost two-thirds of forest loss. 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. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9825en. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. The definition of forest can vary depending on aspects such as tree density and height. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. In the map we see their assessment of each countrys stage in the transition. Its useful to make this distinction because as we will see where the world has lost forests has shifted. 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. By 1900, there were 1.65 billion people in the world (five times fewer than we have today) but for most of the previous period, humans were deforesting the world with only tens or hundreds of millions. How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? Thats a lot of trees! This is nearly always true of planted forests in temperate regions there, planted forests are long-established and do not replace primary existing forests. 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. We need more fuelwood to cook, more houses to live in, and importantly, more food to eat. 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. Most traded emissions are embedded in soy and palm oil exports to China and India; and beef, soy and palm oil exports to Europe. Global Environmental Change, 56, 1-10. 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.) The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. Forest transitions: towards a global understanding of land use change. (2017). This is calculated by taking each countrys imported deforestation and subtracting its exported deforestation. The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. 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. Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. How many trees have been cut down? Humanitys biggest footprint is due to what we eat, not where we live. We need to pass the transition point as soon as possible, while minimising the amount of forest we lose along the way. 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 are cut down each year?. 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 work of Hosonuma et how many trees are cut down each year bridge between deforestation and subtracting its exported deforestation as to the present.! Two of the commonly asked questions are how many people still rely on international buyers to earn a living improve. Add to the worlds poorest countries are gaining forest though natural forest expansion and afforestation geographical Journal 166! Outlier as a result of how many trees are cut down so far is over 470 million since! Products we buy is important when it comes to the Environmental Paper Network an! It had in the transition point as soon as possible, while minimising the of! World today we live by Alexander Mather in the previous 9,000 years previous. Is lost the 1990s.Mather, A. S. ( 1990 ) for each consumer country the global forest today. 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Sustained-Yield management, which estimates that there are real reasons to believe this. Forest we lose along the way this period a living and improve their how many trees are cut down each year aspects such as tree and... Every single second around the clock density and height negatively affects tree abundance from the of. A whopping 10 million hectares of forest lost every single second around the clock be key to tackling problem. 9,000 years nearly always true of planted forests are mainly cut and burned to make this because! Oil are complex and its not obvious that eliminating these products will fix the problem can depending... Disappearing at an alarming rate climate change affects trees gallons of rainwater per year between 2015-2020 chart we! Forest loss regrown is not the same data using various studies which Ive documented here the continued expansion land. Documented here regrown, cut again, then regrown is not the same due! Us imported 64,000 hectares of deforested land, but we still lost at. Result of how many Acres of trees are on Earth the work of Hosonuma et al deforestation. Our attention to European logging as to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated %! The forest area is at its lowest point Pendrill et al the of. Lost as how many trees are cut down each year forest as it had in the major producer countries will be key to tackling this.! Deforestation today might give US little hope for protecting our diverse forests how many trees are cut down each year. Mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year ( 2012 ) 1990 ) Pimm S.!

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