79% of exported deforestation ended up in those countries that had stopped losing domestic forests. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. 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. I have reconstructed long-term data using various studies which Ive documented here. When we cut down primary rainforest we are transforming this ecosystem forever. 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. 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. There is little forest left. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Forest Resources Assessment estimates global deforestation, averaged over the five-year period from 2015 to 2020 was 10 million hectares per year. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Land, 9(5), 129. This might paint a bleak picture for the future of the worlds forests: the United Nations projects that the global population will continue to grow, reaching 10.8 billion by 2100. 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. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. This might put the responsibility for ending deforestation solely on tropical countries. But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. The trees are not expected to regrow. theyre driving deforestation elsewhere; whilst many subtropical countries are partly cutting down trees to meet this demand from rich countries. Today thats just 34%. You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. But international markets alone cannot fix this problem. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. Do rich countries import deforestation from overseas? Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). 95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics. (2010) looked at the primary drivers of deforestation and degradation across tropical and subtropical countries specifically.23 The breakdown of forest degradation drivers is shown in the following chart. But it was then that England reached its transition point and since then, forests have doubled in size. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. 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. Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. After seeing this data, people might argue that we should cut back on trade. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. How many trees have been cut down? As we explore in more detail in our related article, countries tend to follow a predictable development in forest cover, a U-shaped curve.9 They lose forests as populations grow and demand for agricultural land and fuel increases, but eventually they reach the so-called forest transition point where they begin to regrow more forests than they lose. The changes to the forest are often temporary and its expected that they will regrow. 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 just over 100 years the world lost as much forest as it had in the previous 9,000 years. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. Humanitys biggest footprint is due to what we eat, not where we live. Without reliable metrics that capture all of these differences, we will have to stick with total changes in forest area for now. Is there a forest transition? This is because the latter only captures deforestation the replacement of forest with another land use (such as cropland). Ellis, E. C., Beusen, A. H., & Goldewijk, K. K. (2020). Since international demand is driving one-third of deforestation emissions, we have some opportunity to reduce emissions through global consumers and supply chains. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. Economic development and forest cover: evidence from satellite data. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. In 2012 the mid-year of this period global emissions from fossil fuels, industry and land use change was 40.2 billion tonnes. 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. For the last two centuries forests have been growing and are almost back to where they were 1000 years ago.13. 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 from 1990 onwards is sourced from the UNs 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020.References:Williams, M. (2003). Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. This gives us an indication of the impact of the average persons diet. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? 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. Mather, A. S., Fairbairn, J., & Needle, C. L. (1999). If we can take advantage of these innovations, we can bring deforestation to an end. And, we might place more value on preserving primary, native forests that havent yet been deforested over regrowing forests that have lost their previous ecosystems. An area the size of the United States. Please consult our full legal disclaimer. It breaks the change in forests into four stages, explained by two variables: the amount of forest cover a region has, and the annual change in cover (how quickly it is losing or gaining forest).15. However, most align on the relative change in forests over this period. Thats 6 billion hectares. Deforestation is the complete removal of trees for the conversion of forest to another land use such as agriculture, mining, or towns and cities. See which countries are gaining forest though natural forest expansion and afforestation. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. To put this in perspective, that would be around one-sixth of the total carbon footprint of the average EU diet.36. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of 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. But forest cover increases through reforestation. 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. 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? On the horizontal axis we have time, spanning from 1700 to 2020; on the vertical axis we have the decadal change in forest cover. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake particularly beef and lamb has the largest impact. But by studying how forests have changed over time, theres good reason to think that a way forward is possible. Countries may lose some forest each year, but this is at a very slow rate. For example, the average German generated half a tonne (510 kilograms) of CO2 per person from domestic and imported foods. The data used in this chart comes from several sources. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Most emissions 71% came from foods consumed in the country that they were produced. The UK imported 34,000 hectares of deforestation but increased its domestic forests by only 19,000 hectares. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. 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%. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. In the chart we see deforestation emissions per person, measured in tonnes of CO2 per year. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? Stage 2 The Early Transition phase is when countries start to lose forests very rapidly. Nearly all 95% of this deforestation occurs in the tropics. Science Advances, 3(4), e1601047. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. On balance, they add to the global forest stock. The annual change is now positive. How many trees are cut down each year? 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