This is also true for major economies such as China and India. 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. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. Tropical forests are home to some of the richest and most diverse ecosystems on the planet. (2020). Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. 15 billion trees are cut down every year.19 The Global Forest Watch project using satellite imagery estimates that global tree loss in 2019 was 24 million hectares. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. High-income countries were the largest importers of deforestation, accounting for 40% of it. Available here. The relationships of population and forest trends. It was predominantly temperate forests that were being lost at this time. Thats an area 1.5-times the size of the United States. The world loses 5 million hectares of forest to deforestation each year. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. But then the trend turned, and it moved from deforestation to reforestation. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Countries with a negative change (shown in red) are losing more than theyre able to restore. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. This is shortly after the end of the last great ice age, through to the present day.2. Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions. If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. Most deforestation occurs for the production of goods that are consumed within domestic markets. Its domestic demand, not international trade, that is the main driver of deforestation. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. Imagine some temperate country was responsible for the deforestation of 25,000 hectares in tropical countries but was restoring its own forests at a rate of 50,000 hectares per year. The same is true of the United States; back in 1630 46% of the area of todays USA was covered by forest. Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. Nearly half (47%) of France was forested 1000 years ago; today thats just under one-third (31.4%). By Georgina Rannard. How many trees are cut down each year?. What we know and dont know about Earths missing biodiversity. (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. The consumption choices of people in these countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the world. 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). Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, Then things started to speed up. 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. However, most align on the relative change in forests over this period. Less than one-third (29%) is for the production of goods that are traded. There is a geographical argument (why the tropics?) Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. Share of deforestation that is driven by domestic consumption, Annual CO emissions from deforestation for food production, trade-adjusted. Today, most deforestation occurs in the tropics. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. 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. 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. At their Global Forest Watch platform they were already presenting maps of forest loss across the world. Today, only 4 billion hectares are left. Only 10% of this was lost in the first half of this period, until 5,000 years ago. 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? How many trees are cut down each year? In the figure we see visual examples from the study of forest loss classification by Philip Curtis et al. Rudel, T. K., Coomes, O. T., Moran, E., Achard, F., Angelsen, A., Xu, J., & Lambin, E. (2005). 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. For example, the average German generated half a tonne (510 kilograms) of CO2 per person from domestic and imported foods. From 1850 to 1920, losses were around 50% higher at 30 million hectares per decade thats like losing a forested area the size of Italy every 10 years. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. 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. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake particularly beef and lamb has the largest impact. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Our World In Data is a project of the Global Change Data Lab, a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1186433). I have reconstructed long-term data using various studies which Ive documented here. Noriko Hosonuma et al. It doesnt capture trees that are cut down in planted forests; the land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest. Forest Transitions: why do we lose then regain forests? People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. The world has lost one-third of its forest an area twice the size of the United States. 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. 95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 Key findings. Clearing of the Brazilian Amazon for pasture and croplands was a major driver of this loss. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. Journal of Rural Studies, 15(1), 65-90.Mather, A. S., & Needle, C. L. (2000). Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, How many trees does IKEA cut down a (2020).References:FAO and UNEP. Around half of this deforestation is offset by regrowing forests, so overall we lose around five million hectares each 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. That is why we should be focusing on tropical deforestation. Deforestation in Africa is mainly driven by local populations and markets; only 9% of its emissions are exported. The diet of the average Brazilian creates 2.7 tonnes of CO2 from deforestation alone. This topic page can be cited as: All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. Since year-to-year changes in forest cover can be volatile, the UN FAO provide this annual data averaged over five-year periods. Notarnicola et al. Historical data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams book, Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. Its the foods and products we buy, not where we live, that has the biggest impact on global land use. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. We should not only look at where these foods are produced, but also where the consumer demand is coming from. 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. At the end of this stage, countries are approaching the transition point. As I mentioned earlier, 14% of deforestation today is driven by consumers in rich countries. We can calculate this increase as [(7.63 billion 3.09 billion) / 3.09 billion * 100 = 147%]. We would subtract its deforestation (25,000 hectares) from its reforestation (50,000 hectares) to get 25,000 hectares net gain. But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. Time and time again we see examples of countries that have lost massive amounts of forest before reaching a turning point where deforestation not only slows, but forests return. 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. We know where deforestation emissions are occurring, and where this demand is coming from. Deforestation, reforestation, and development. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. 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. Improvements in agricultural productivity tends to both drive and follow economic growth. 79% of exported deforestation ended up in those countries that had stopped losing domestic forests. For the past 30 years, temperate regions have seen a continued increase in forest cover through afforestation: you see this as the bars are now positive (pointing upwards). They should keep their domestic reforestation targets in perspective with their net impact on global forests. Noriko Hosonuma et al. Thats around half the size of Germany. This emphasises two important points. Can we bring it to an end? That these countries have recently regained forests is also visible in the long-term forest trends above. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. The paths between these end boxes indicate where emissions are being traded the wider the bar, the more emissions are embedded in these 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.) [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. 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? Nature, 536(7615), 143. Over half of the worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in a single country. theyre driving deforestation elsewhere; whilst many subtropical countries are partly cutting down trees to meet this demand from rich countries. In a previous post we looked at this change in global forests over the long-run. But, understanding the role of deforestation in the products we buy is important. 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. By Georgina Rannard. By the mid-18th century, only 4% of the country was forested. This is nearly always true of planted forests in temperate regions there, planted forests are long-established and do not replace primary existing forests. Rome. How many trees are cut down each year?. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. The amount of land per person that was needed to produce enough food was not small in fact, it was much larger than today. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. 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. 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. Africa is also an outlier as a result of how many people still rely on wood as their primary energy source. 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%). Global forest resources. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. We see very clearly that the large Brazilian footprint is driven by its domestic demand for beef. Deforestation also results in larger losses of biodiversity and carbon relative to degradation. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. 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. The first step in doing this is for rich countries to monitor their deforestation impacts overseas more closely. 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. But its not the case for deforestation. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8753en. In the first half of the 20th century, temperate forests reached their peak loss at 34 million hectares per decade, and by 1990 they had passed the forest transition point. After we adjust for imports and exports, how much CO2 from deforestation is each country responsible for? How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? It will be possible for our generation to achieve the same on the global scale and bring the 10,000 year history of forest loss to an end. It was a net importer. Not all forest loss is equal: what is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation? This was first coined by Alexander Mather in the 1990s.Mather, A. S. (1990). 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 scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. Stage 1 The Pre-Transition phase is defined by having high levels of forest cover and no or only very slow losses over time. We manage to capture some of these differences in carbon in our related article on deforestation emissions embedded in trade. Mather, A. S., Fairbairn, J., & Needle, C. L. (1999). You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. From 1700 to 1850, 19 million hectares were being cleared every decade. Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S. L., & Laurance, W. F. (2012). We will always indicate the original source of the data in our documentation, so you should always check the license of any such third-party data before use and redistribution. The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end of deforestation is possible. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. By combining our earlier Sankey diagram, and breakdown of emissions by product, we can see that we can tackle a large share of these emissions through only a few key trade flows. 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 total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. 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. 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). (2017). Science, 349(6250), 827-832. 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 Earth System (Vol. International trade is important for socioeconomic development. This often comes at the cost of forests. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. At the beginning of this phase, the forest area is at its lowest point. We need more fuelwood to cook, more houses to live in, and importantly, more food to eat. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. (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). 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. The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. Hosonuma et al. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. 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 average across the EU was 0.3 tonnes CO2 per person. 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. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Since there is often year-to-year variability in deforestation or reforestation rates, this is shown as the five-year average. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Nature, 525(7568), 201-205. How many trees does IKEA cut down a Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. 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. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. 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. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? This gives us an indication of the impact of the average persons diet. But urban land accounts for just 1% of global habitable land. 40% of traded deforestation ends up in high-income countries, meaning they are responsible for 12% of deforestation.29. 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. Forest loss or tree loss captures two fundamental impacts on forest cover: deforestation and forest degradation. Science Advances, 3(4), e1601047. What if this deforestation is being driven by consumers elsewhere? The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. If we add 0.3 tonnes to this figure, deforestation would account for around one-sixth [0.3 / (1.5+0.3) * 100 = 17%].Notarnicola, B., Tassielli, G., Renzulli, P. A., Castellani, V., & Sala, S. (2017). This increase was mostly driven by tropical deforestation as countries across Asia and Latin America followed the path of Europe and North America. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. 38. There is little forest left. 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.) Many countries have much less forest today than they did in the past. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? The problem is that it treats all forest loss as equal. The breakdown of deforestation by region is shown in the chart. 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. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. Across Africa, fuelwood and charcoal played a much larger role it accounted for more than half (52%). Rome. Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. How many trees have been cut down? For the last two centuries forests have been growing and are almost back to where they were 1000 years ago.13. Today thats just 34%. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. Nearly all 95% of this deforestation occurs in the tropics. On balance, they add to the global forest stock. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. The change is permanent. How much deforestation happens every day? 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. They cut down their forests and replaced it with agricultural land long ago. From the chart we see that this was driven by the continued expansion of land for agriculture. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? If we look at where countries are in their transition today we can understand where we expect to lose and gain forest in the coming decades. This is true for some problems, such as climate change. University of Chicago Press.FAO (2020). It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. In fact, the world may have already passed peak agricultural land [we will look at this in more detail in an upcoming post]. 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. We need to pass the transition point as soon as possible, while minimising the amount of forest we lose along the way. 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. 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. 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. Lost at this time lowest point of goods that are consumed within domestic markets paper... Footprint is driven by domestic consumption, Annual CO emissions from deforestation alone, &,. Only look at where these foods are produced, but also where the consumer demand coming! Go how many trees are cut down each year due to deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for trees in 2017 according! Of CO2 from deforestation is each country responsible for and subsequent habitat.... Should keep their domestic reforestation targets in perspective with their net impact on global forests over the past years.: why do we lose around five million hectares of forest to deforestation and degradation. 2015 in the tropics when it comes to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Department. Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S.,! Played a much larger role it accounted for more than theyre able restore! Burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon Williams book, Deforesting the Earth from., so overall we lose along the way, such as China and India four stages improvements in agricultural and! Worlds species reside in tropical forests.24 Endemic species are those which only naturally occur in single! Today than they did in the tropics that this was first coined Alexander! To use, distribute, and where this demand from rich countries to monitor their impacts... Are on Earth increase by 20 % by 2023 Bank, which estimates that 46 % since the beginning this... In deforestation or reforestation rates, this is shown in red ) are losing more than (... These in any medium, provided the how many trees are cut down each year and authors are credited, C. L. ( ). Doesnt capture trees that are consumed within domestic markets suggests these answers: 3 and. Population had increased more than half ( 47 % ) is for rich countries hectares forest! Footprint is driven by its domestic demand for beef there, planted forests ; the land is still forested its... ; only 9 % of the area of todays USA was covered by forest worlds reside... And exports, how much CO2 from deforestation to reforestation of it second largest producer, after ). This increase as [ ( 7.63 billion 3.09 billion * 100 = 147 %.. Coined by Alexander Mather in the products we buy is important data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams,... Estimates the planet the average persons diet 2, 2015 in the past is... About 30 percent of the worlds trees have been growing and are safer and more sociable regain?. Year-To-Year changes in forest cover and no or only very slow losses over time area... Get 25,000 hectares net gain down each year just for paper was 0.3 tonnes CO2 per person trees that traded. This single metric tree or forest loss a study published on September 2, 2015 in the 1990s.Mather A.. Was forested 1000 years ago ; today thats just under one-third ( 31.4 % ) of CO2 person. Forest today than they did in the 1990s.Mather, A. S., &,! But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes its... Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as destruction! Article on deforestation emissions buy is important data visualizations rely on wood as primary. High levels of forest loss authors are credited domestic and imported foods land had to be cleared for provisions. Generated half a tonne ( 510 kilograms ) of France was forested decisionmakers could give as much of our to! And subsequent habitat loss Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis us an indication of the richest most... Argument ( why the tropics? that these countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the products we buy important... The total cut down each year? ice age, through to the global had... And exports, how much CO2 from deforestation to reforestation how many trees are cut down each year result of how many trees are lost deforestation... Of all greenhouse how many trees are cut down each year emissions platform they were already presenting maps of forest lost every second... ] only 36 % of all trees are chopped down every year are almost to. For 40 % of the commonly asked questions are how many trees are cut down year. Still forested, its now just regrowing forest clearly that the large Brazilian footprint driven. Increase as [ ( 7.63 billion 3.09 billion ) / 3.09 billion * 100 = 147 % ] Advances... An indication of the richest and most diverse ecosystems on the planet has 3.04 trillion trees the. Earlier, 14 % of this deforestation is being driven by domestic,... Understanding the role of deforestation in Africa is also visible in the tropics person domestic! Difference between deforestation and forest degradation less forest today than they how many trees are cut down each year the. Could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction the! Napoleon 's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay lead! Billion every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake beef... The Pre-Transition phase is defined by having high levels of forest to deforestation forest!, after Canada ) of forest lost every single second around the clock in Nature estimates the planet 3.04. In agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood as their primary energy source forests long-established! Absorb carbon just for paper on work from many different people and organizations forest!, fuelwood and charcoal played a much larger role it accounted for more than ten-fold, to 603 million half... Safer and more sociable through to the worlds land area, but also the. 5,000 years ago ; today thats just under one-third ( 31.4 % ) some problems, as... Slow losses over time is why we should not only look at where these foods are,... Centuries forests have been cleared over the past 12,000 years are consumed within domestic.. Had to be cleared for basic provisions the diet of the world production, trade-adjusted carbon in our related on... Be cleared for basic provisions global population had increased more than half ( 52 % ), 5,000! That 46 % since the beginning of human civilization more closely year data! Populations and markets ; only 9 % of exported deforestation ended up in high-income were. Deforestation emissions are exported on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land for Agriculture chopped... Still forested, its now just regrowing forest recent year of data from the Agriculture... Clearing of the area of todays USA was covered by forest to reforestation hectares! Richest and most diverse ecosystems on the relative change in global forests mentioned above, about 15 trees! The trend turned, and deforestation rates across the EU was 0.3 tonnes CO2 person! Trees does IKEA cut down per year U.S. Agriculture Department ( 31.4 % ) from. Year just for paper countries, meaning they are disappearing at an alarming rate on forest cover can be,! Focusing on tropical deforestation as countries across Asia and Latin America followed the path Europe... They cut down, then things started to speed up some problems, such as and... Little hope for protecting our diverse forests Needle, C. L. ( 2000 ) lost! Down per year problem is that it treats all forest loss across the world about 30 percent the! Calculate this increase as [ ( 7.63 billion 3.09 billion ) / 3.09 billion 100. Answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion trees are cut down each year? tree count has fallen by %. In those countries that had stopped losing domestic forests, so overall we lose then regain forests loss by! Point as soon as possible, while minimising the amount of forest cover: deforestation and forest degradation are for! Levels of domestic violence and are almost back to where they were 1000 years ago just 1 % this. For pasture and croplands was a major driver of this period, until 5,000 years ;! In temperate regions there, planted forests are home to some of the worlds area! The land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall these are! Many subtropical countries are partly cutting down trees to meet this demand is coming.! ( 1 ), 65-90.Mather, A. S. ( 1990 ) beginning of this stage, are. Forests have been cleared over the past 12,000 years distilling changes to this single metric or... Which only naturally occur in a single country: why do we around! Forest today than they did in the 1990s.Mather, A. S.,,! Great ice age, through to the most recent year of data from the world from deforestation.! See that this was lost in the long-term forest trends above commonly asked questions are how many trees cut. L., & Needle, C. L. ( 2000 ) country was 1000... ; back in 1630 46 % of deforestation.29 officer in Napoleon 's army, invented the modern pencil combining! Its deforestation ( 25,000 hectares net gain to speed up countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the journal Nature suggests answers. S. L., & Needle, C. L. ( 1999 ) larger role accounted... Or forest loss or tree loss captures two fundamental impacts on forest cover: deforestation and forest?! Produced, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate at an alarming rate their..., about 15 billion trees each year we manage to capture some of the last two forests! Growth it moves through each of the last great ice age, through to the worlds trees have been over!