Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. I have therefore excluded these categories so we can focus on how habitable land is used. What if this deforestation is being driven by consumers elsewhere? Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. This demand for resources and land is not always driven by domestic markets. Environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe. Tropical forests are also large carbon sinks, and can store a lot of carbon per unit area.26. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Cutting them down disrupts or destroys established, species-rich ecosystems. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. Do rich countries import deforestation from overseas? Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. How much deforestation happens every day? Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Global forest resources. Deforesting the earth: from prehistory to global crisis. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. Mapping tree density at a global scale. 2020. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. There is a marked divide in the state of the worlds forests. Thats 6 billion hectares. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. Brazil and Indonesia alone account for almost half. But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. Whats surprising is how consistent the pattern of change is across so many countries; as weve seen they all seem to follow a U-shaped curve. We know where deforestation emissions are occurring, and where this demand is coming from. Brazil, in contrast, caused more deforestation domestically in the production of goods for other countries than it imported from elsewhere. 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. 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. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. Year-to-year data on forest change comes with several issues: either data at this resolution is not available, or year-to-year changes can be highly variable. 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. Tropical forests and the changing earth system. 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. We manage to capture some of these differences in carbon in our related article on deforestation emissions embedded in trade. Most of our future deforestation is going to come from countries in the pre- or early-transition phase. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of (2012) looked at this distribution for low-to-middle income subtropical countries, and has also studied the many drivers of forest loss.Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). We see very clearly that the large Brazilian footprint is driven by its domestic demand for beef. 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? Forest loss or tree loss captures two fundamental impacts on forest cover: deforestation and forest degradation. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. The researchs results are Nature, 536(7615), 143. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. 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. At the beginning of this phase, the forest area is at its lowest point. 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. Journal of Rural Studies, 15(1), 65-90.Mather, A. S., & Needle, C. L. (2000). Not only would this be bad for people, it might also be bad for forests. Urbanization, the other driver of deforestation accounts for just 0.6%. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Over half of the worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in a single country. Globally we deforest around ten million hectares of forest every year.11 Thats an area the size of Portugal every year. But we also need to know what products are driving this. It might seem odd to argue that we should focus our efforts on tackling this quarter of forest loss (rather than the other 73%). Why? But the solution is not so simple. This increase was mostly driven by tropical deforestation as countries across Asia and Latin America followed the path of Europe and North America. But by studying how forests have changed over time, theres good reason to think that a way forward is possible. Why should we care most about tropical deforestation? Data on the annual change in domestic forests is sourced from the UN FAOs Forest Resources Assessment. Half of global forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900; the other half was lost in the last century alone. In a related post we have combined this FAO data with global deforestation rates from Williams (2003) to document forest change over the last 300 years this gives us data on forest change from 1700 onwards. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. The world loses 5 million hectares of forest to deforestation each year. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. 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. 432). Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. The consumption choices of people in these countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the world. (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. They cut down their forests and replaced it with agricultural land long ago. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, It assumes the impact of clearing primary rainforest in the Amazon to produce soybeans is the same as logging planted forests in the UK. 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. 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. This is calculated by taking each countrys imported deforestation and subtracting its exported deforestation. In the figure we see visual examples from the study of forest loss classification by Philip Curtis et al. In the chart we see how the cover of the earths surface has changed over the past 10,000 years. 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. But urban land accounts for just 1% of global habitable land. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? Deforestation was therefore responsible for [2.6 / 40.2 * 100 = 6.5%]. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. On balance, they add to the global forest stock. How much forest has the world lost? 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. 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%. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Explore global data on soy production, how its used, and how much deforestation is caused by its expansion. 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. We can calculate this increase as [(7.63 billion 3.09 billion) / 3.09 billion * 100 = 147%]. But we also see that some countries which import a lot of food have high emissions. To investigate this question, researchers Florence Pendrill et al. The story of both soy and palm oil are complex and its not obvious that eliminating these products will fix the problem. In the chart we see how emissions from tropical deforestation are distributed through international supply chains. The Earth System (Vol. Rudel, T. K. (1998). Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. 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. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. We should not only look at where these foods are produced, but also where the consumer demand is coming from. 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 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. Across the US and Europe the breakdown of products is more varied. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, 753-765. How many trees are cut down each year? This is probably less than many people would expect. Africas emissions are high because people are clearing forests to produce more food. This is also true for major economies such as China and India. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. The fact that the per capita emissions after trade are very high means that a lot of their food products are consumed by people in Brazil and Indonesia. 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. Data from 1990 onwards is sourced from the UNs 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020.References:Williams, M. (2003). Since year-to-year changes in forest cover can be volatile, the UN FAO provide this annual data averaged over five-year periods. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. There are other aspects to consider. This was first coined by Alexander Mather in the 1990s.Mather, A. S. (1990). Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. That was 6.5% of global CO2 emissions.35. 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? That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. This map shows the net change in forest cover across the world. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. In the map we see their assessment of each countrys stage in the transition. Today, only 4 billion hectares are left. Science, 361(6407), 1108-1111. From the 1920s through to the 1980s, decadal losses quadrupled to almost 120 million hectares. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. 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. But, as countries continue to get richer this demand slows. High-income countries were the largest importers of deforestation, accounting for 40% of it. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. 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. 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). Humanitys biggest footprint is due to what we eat, not where we live. 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. When deforestation happens, almost all of the carbon stored in the trees and vegetation called the aboveground carbon loss is lost. 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. Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). Most deforestation occurs for the production of goods that are consumed within domestic markets. Please consult our full legal disclaimer. Stage 4 The Post-Transition phase is when countries have passed the transition point and are now gaining forest again. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. Explore palm oil production across the world, and its impacts on the environment. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. How Many Acres of 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. 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. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. Thats an area the size of the United Kingdom. Global deforestation reached its peak in the 1980s. This is true for some problems, such as climate change. 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. Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . This might put the responsibility for ending deforestation solely on tropical countries. University of Chicago Press.FAO (2020). We then get high-income countries share of deforestation as: [40% of the 29% that is traded], which is equal to 12%. It provides long-term estimates on forest cover in 10,000 and 5,000 years BP. But international markets alone cannot fix this problem. Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. It was a net exporter. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. Land, 9(5), 129. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Lets put some numbers to them. When we think of the growing pressures on land from modern populations we often picture sprawling megacities. Most deforestation today occurs in low-to-middle income countries. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. Countries may lose some forest each year, but this is at a very slow rate. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. There is little forest left. How many trees does IKEA cut down a It doesnt capture trees that are cut down in planted forests; the land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest. Nearly all 95% of this deforestation occurs in the tropics. But they wanted to contribute to a more informed discussion about where to focus forest conservation efforts by understanding why forests were being lost. 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.) Sometimes these restoration programmes pale in comparison to the deforestation theyre driving elsewhere. 71% of this is driven by demand in domestic markets, and the remaining 29% for the production of products that are traded. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Lets take an example. Crowther, T. W., Glick, H. B., Covey, K. R., Bettigole, C., Maynard, D. S., Thomas, S. M., & Tuanmu, M. N. (2015). 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. 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 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. Lewis, S. L. (2006). That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). After we adjust for imports and exports, how much CO2 from deforestation is each country responsible for? One of the reasons poorer countries clear forest to make room for farmland is that they achieve low crop yields. Thats like losing an area the size of Portugal every two years. In contrast, most forest degradation two-thirds of it occurs in temperate countries. Luxembourg has the largest footprint at nearly three tonnes per person. Rome. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. 38. After seeing this data, people might argue that we should cut back on trade. Thats equivalent to the area of South Africa. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. 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. Global Environmental Change, 15(1), 23-31. The taller the bar, the larger the change in forest area. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. 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. 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. By Georgina Rannard. 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. Carbon emissions from deforestation: are they driven by domestic demand or international trade? What this showed was that although humans have been deforesting the planet for millennia, the rate of forest loss accelerated rapidly in the last few centuries. Firstly, international trade does play a role in deforestation its responsible for almost one-third of emissions. The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France. Many countries have much less forest today than they did in the past. 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. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. Science, 349(6250), 827-832. 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. See the distribution of global forests and which countries have the most forest cover. 2020. International trade plays an important role in this growth, and may allow farmers to see the yield gains they need to produce more food using less land. 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