Brazil, in contrast, caused more deforestation domestically in the production of goods for other countries than it imported from elsewhere. The definition of forest can vary depending on aspects such as tree density and height. 71% of this is driven by demand in domestic markets, and the remaining 29% for the production of products that are traded. We need to pass the transition point as soon as possible, while minimising the amount of forest we lose along the way. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. We see one such transition in the chart: the forest loss in the temperate regions shown as the green part of the bars peaked much earlier than the global forest loss. Many people think of environmental concerns as a modern issue: humanitys destruction of nature and ecosystems as a result of very recent population growth and increasing consumption. 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. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. In Latin America and Asia the dominant driver of degradation was logging for products such as timber, paper and pulp this accounted for more than 70%. Williams, M. (2003). Rural Sociology, 63(4), 533-552. But we also need to know what products are driving this. But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. 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. But, overall, oilseeds and beef tend to top the list for most countries. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. 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. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. The world loses almost six million hectares of forest each year to deforestation. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. 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.) 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. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. All other material, including 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. How many trees have been cut down? Urbanization, the other driver of deforestation accounts for just 0.6%. 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%. We can calculate this increase as [(7.63 billion 3.09 billion) / 3.09 billion * 100 = 147%]. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. 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. But not all of it is to produce products for local markets. Pre-1961 land use is sourced from the work of Ellis et al. We know where deforestation emissions are occurring, and where this demand is coming from. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. 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 is shortly after the end of the last great ice age, through to the present day.2. 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]. That is why we should be focusing on tropical deforestation. 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. The world loses 5 million hectares of forest to deforestation each year. International trade is important for socioeconomic development. Notarnicola et al. This means they were responsible for 12% of global deforestation.31 It is therefore true that rich countries are causing deforestation in poorer countries. 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. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(9), 501-510. Since year-to-year changes in forest cover can be volatile, the UN FAO provide this annual data averaged over five-year periods. 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. 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 latter will experience short-term environmental impacts, but will ultimately regrow. We should not only look at where these foods are produced, but also where the consumer demand is coming from. 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. 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. It feeds into the popular idea that eating local is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Mapping tree density at a global scale. Deforestation tends to occur on forests that have been around for centuries, if not millennia. Clearing of the Brazilian Amazon for pasture and croplands was a major driver of this loss. 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 a study published in Global Environmental Change, Florence Pendrill and colleagues investigated where tropical deforestation was occurring; what products were driving this; and, using global trade models, they traced where these products were going in international supply chains.34, They found that tropical deforestation given as the annual average between 2010 and 2014 was responsible for 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 per year. For example, the US imported 64,000 hectares of deforested land, but increased its domestic forest area by 275,000 hectares. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8753en. The rate of forest loss changed a lot. These countries might have high levels of afforestation at home, but theyre still having a net negative impact on the size of the worlds forests. Across the US and Europe the breakdown of products is more varied. 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 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. As I mentioned earlier, 14% of deforestation today is driven by consumers in rich countries. 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. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. 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. But its not the case for deforestation. Estimates vary, but most date the end of the last great ice age to around 11,700 years ago.Kump, L. R., Kasting, J. F., & Crane, R. G. (2004). The researchs results are FAO. After seeing this data, people might argue that we should cut back on trade. Most of our future deforestation is going to come from countries in the pre- or early-transition phase. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Its the foods and products we buy, not where we live, that has the biggest impact on global land use. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 361(1465), 195-210. That these countries have recently regained forests is also visible in the long-term forest trends above. Rome. By the mid-18th century, only 4% of the country was forested. Explore palm oil production across the world, and its impacts on the environment. This demand for resources and land is not always driven by domestic markets. 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%. Biodiversity: The ravages of guns, nets and bulldozers. Data from 1990 onwards is sourced from the UNs 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020.References:Williams, M. (2003). Many countries have not only ended deforestation, but actually achieved substantial reforestation. 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 Its useful to make this distinction because as we will see where the world has lost forests has shifted. On the horizontal axis we have time, spanning from 1700 to 2020; on the vertical axis we have the decadal change in forest cover. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. When we treat these impacts equally we make it difficult to prioritize our efforts in the fight against deforestation. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Across Africa, fuelwood and charcoal played a much larger role it accounted for more than half (52%). This is measured in hectares, which is equivalent to 10,000 m. 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. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. Over half of the worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in a single country. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . Most traded emissions are embedded in soy and palm oil exports to China and India; and beef, soy and palm oil exports to Europe. Before we look at trends in deforestation across the world specifically, its useful to understand the net change in forest cover. Forest degradation measures a thinning of the canopy a reduction in the density of trees in the area but without a change in land use. But there are real reasons to believe that this century doesnt have to replicate the destruction of the last one. Forestry Commission. Thats an area 1.5-times the size of the United States. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. Since the end of the last great ice age 10,000 years ago the world has lost one-third of its forests.5 Two billion hectares of forest an area twice the size of the United States has been cleared to grow crops, raise livestock, and use for fuelwood. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. 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. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. Tropical forests are often more productive than temperate forests, meaning they store more carbon. Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. University of Chicago Press. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 Key findings. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9825en. 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%. From the chart we see that this was driven by the continued expansion of land for agriculture. Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. 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. If poorer countries are cutting down forests to make food for rich consumers, then we should just stop trading these goods. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. 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. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. Cutting them down disrupts or destroys established, species-rich ecosystems. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. 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.) On balance, they add to the global forest stock. Deforestation is the complete removal of trees for the conversion of forest to another land use such as agriculture, mining, or towns and cities. Thats like losing an area the size of Portugal every two years. estimate a 35% loss of global forest cover since 10,000. (2020). Thats equivalent to the area of South Africa. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Most deforestation occurs for the production of goods that are consumed within domestic markets. How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? To do this, they quantified where deforestation was occurring due to the expansion of croplands, pasture and tree plantations (for logging), and what commodities were produced on this converted land. Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). Is there a forest transition? The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end of deforestation is possible. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Since agriculture is responsible for 60 to 80% of it, what we eat, where its sourced from, and how it is produced is our strongest lever to bring deforestation to an end. The Forest Transition therefore tends to follow a development pathway.16 As a country achieves economic growth it moves through each of the four stages. How many trees does IKEA cut down a The world has lost one-third of its forest an area twice the size of the United States. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. They cut down their forests and replaced it with agricultural land long ago. Do rich countries import deforestation from overseas? This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. (2017). If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. Mather, A. S. (2004). When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. University of Chicago Press.FAO (2020). But we also see that some countries which import a lot of food have high emissions. Historical data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams book, Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis. How many trees are cut down each year?. 95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics. Not all forest loss is equal: what is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation? A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, We therefore look at them both individually in more detail, to better understand what we can do about it. 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. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, But there is good reason to make this our primary concern. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. When in history did we lose it? Since international demand is driving one-third of deforestation emissions, we have some opportunity to reduce emissions through global consumers and supply chains. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. Science, 361(6407), 1108-1111. 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. 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. Data on net forest change, afforestation and deforestation is sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations Forest Resources Assessment. For example, Ellis et al. 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. Nature Sustainability, 1-9. Stage 3 The Late Transition phase is when deforestation rates start to slow down again. Science, 349(6250), 827-832.Williams, D. R., Clark, M., Buchanan, G. M., Ficetola, G. F., Rondinini, C., & Tilman, D. (2020). When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. The average across the EU was 0.3 tonnes CO2 per person. Countries below the line such as the UK and Germany are not growing forests fast enough to offset the deforestation theyre creating elsewhere. Countries with a negative change (shown in red) are losing more than theyre able to restore. Many countries have followed this classic U-shaped pattern. Second, it makes clear how much deforestation accelerated over the last century. On the x-axis we have imported deforestation. 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. (2018), published in Science.20, Commodity-driven deforestation and urbanization are deforestation: the forested land is completely cleared and converted into another land use a farm, mining site, or city. The changes to the forest are often temporary and its expected that they will regrow. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. 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. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . The Asia-Pacific region predominantly Indonesia and Malaysia export a higher share: 44%. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of You have permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. This helps consumers understand what products they should be concerned about, but also allows us to target specific supply chains. 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. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. Humanitys biggest footprint is due to what we eat, not where we live. are added every year. Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., & Kastner, T. (2019). Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020: Main report. In the chart we see how emissions from tropical deforestation are distributed through international supply chains. In the chart we see deforestation emissions per person, measured in tonnes of CO2 per year. Countries with a positive change (shown in green) are regrowing forest faster than theyre losing it. The scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. Thats around half the size of Germany. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. This is true for some problems, such as climate change. 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. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. Not only would this be bad for people, it might also be bad for forests. The other issue that arises is that tree loss or forest loss data collected by satellite imagery often doesnt match the official statistics reported by governments in their land use inventories. At the end of this stage, countries are approaching the transition point. 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? This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. An area the size of the United States. What explains this? The same is true of the United States; back in 1630 46% of the area of todays USA was covered by forest. Moving into the 20th century there was a stepwise change in demand for agricultural land and energy from wood. Since then, deforestation rates have steadily declined, to 78 million hectares in the 1990s; 52 million in the early 2000s; and 47 million in the last decade. Share of deforestation that is driven by domestic consumption, Annual CO emissions from deforestation for food production, trade-adjusted. 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). This is nearly always true of planted forests in temperate regions there, planted forests are long-established and do not replace primary existing forests. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. 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. 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. Humans have been cutting down trees for millennia. 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. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . Today thats just 34%. Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. It was a net importer. 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. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. Mather, A. S., Fairbairn, J., & Needle, C. L. (1999). To investigate this question, researchers Florence Pendrill et al. As we saw previously, this deforestation accounts for around one-quarter of global forest loss. How much forest has the world lost? Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Carbon emissions from deforestation: are they driven by domestic demand or international trade? The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France. Global forest resources. They first lose lots of forest, but reach a turning point and begin to regain it again. From 1700 to 1850, 19 million hectares were being cleared every decade. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. Accurate count are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss says 15.3 billion trees are on.! Explore palm oil production across the us and Europe the breakdown of products is more varied hope! Or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down each year to food! 100 = 147 % ] of deforestation that is why we should cut back on trade we,! Losing an area 1.5-times the size of Portugal every two years together, we have some to... 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