Rudel, T. K., Coomes, O. T., Moran, E., Achard, F., Angelsen, A., Xu, J., & Lambin, E. (2005). But not all of it is to produce products for local markets. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, 753-765. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. In a previous article I showed that the types of food you eat matter much more for your carbon footprint than where it comes from this is because transport usually makes up a small percentage of your foods emissions, even if it comes from the other side of the world. They also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. The researchs results are Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. What explains this? 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. Crowther, T. W., Glick, H. B., Covey, K. R., Bettigole, C., Maynard, D. S., Thomas, S. M., & Tuanmu, M. N. (2015). 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. Humanitys biggest footprint is due to what we eat, not where we live. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. Estimates vary, but on average only 10-20% of carbon is lost during logging, and 10-30% from fires.27 In a study of logging practices in the Amazon and Congo, forests retained 76% of their carbon stocks shortly after logging.28 Logged forests recover their carbon over time, as long as the land is not converted to other uses (which is what happens in the case of deforestation). 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. See the distribution of global forests and which countries have the most forest cover. Why? How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? Available here. By Georgina Rannard. Most of our future deforestation is going to come from countries in the pre- or early-transition phase. 2020. I have reconstructed long-term data using various studies which Ive documented here. Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. There is a geographical argument (why the tropics?) 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. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. 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. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. But we also see that some countries which import a lot of food have high emissions. There are other aspects to consider. 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. (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. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Its State of the Worlds Forests report provides estimates of global forest cover today, and rates of change over previous decades. But its not the case for deforestation. The researchs results are But it can bridge between deforestation and degradation depending on the timeframe and permanence of these agricultural practices. Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. Even with the most basic of lifestyles compared to todays standards, the per capita footprint of our ancestors would have been large. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. They first lose lots of forest, but reach a turning point and begin to regain it again. When in history did we lose it? Half of global forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900; the other half was lost in the last century alone. In contrast, most forest degradation two-thirds of it occurs in temperate countries. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. These are big numbers, and important ones to track: forest loss creates a number of negative impacts, ranging from carbon emissions to species extinctions and biodiversity loss. Since three-quarters of tropical deforestation is driven by agriculture, thats a valid concern. 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%. The annual change is now positive. Scientific Reports, 7, 40678. In Latin America and Southeast Asia in particular, commodity-driven deforestation mainly the clearance of forests to grow crops such as palm oil and soy, and pasture for beef production accounts for almost two-thirds of forest loss. Thats both an economic and environmental win. Deforestation displaced: trade in forest-risk commodities and the prospects for a global forest transition. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Second, it makes clear how much deforestation accelerated over the last century. Tropical forests are home to some of the richest and most diverse ecosystems on the planet. It provides long-term estimates on forest cover in 10,000 and 5,000 years BP. Forests are mainly cut and burned to make space for local, subsistence agriculture or for fuelwood for energy. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. The data used in this chart comes from several sources. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. Deforestation in Africa is mainly driven by local populations and markets; only 9% of its emissions are exported. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. If we can take advantage of these innovations, we can bring deforestation to an end. estimate a 35% loss of global forest cover since 10,000. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8753en. Journal of Rural Studies, 15(1), 65-90.Mather, A. S., & Needle, C. L. (2000). The trees are not expected to regrow. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. Explore more of our work on Forests and Deforestation, Anthropogenic Biomes: 10,000 BCE to 2015 CE, The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France, The relationships of population and forest trends, An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries, Increasing human dominance of tropical forests, Proactive conservation to prevent habitat losses to agricultural expansion, Forest transition theory and the reforesting of Scotland, Is there a forest transition? Deforestation tends to occur on forests that have been around for centuries, if not millennia. Stage 3 The Late Transition phase is when deforestation rates start to slow down again. In the chart we see how emissions from tropical deforestation are distributed through international supply chains. 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. To investigate this question, researchers Florence Pendrill et al. 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 first step in doing this is for rich countries to monitor their deforestation impacts overseas more closely. This was first coined by Alexander Mather in the 1990s.Mather, A. S. (1990). 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. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. Net forest loss is not the same as deforestation it measures deforestation plus any gains in forest over a given period. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. Humans have been cutting down trees for millennia. It would be good if there was data available that would capture these additional aspects. The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. We should not only look at where these foods are produced, but also where the consumer demand is coming from. Rome. By Georgina Rannard. 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. Many countries have not only ended deforestation, but actually achieved substantial reforestation. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, 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? Agricultural and urban land: The UN FAO Statistical database provides data on global agricultural and urban land from 1961 onwards. They are smaller, and more temporary. Before we look at trends in deforestation across the world specifically, its useful to understand the net change in forest cover. The amount of land used for agriculture land to grow crops as well as grazing land for livestock was expanding. For example, the US imported 64,000 hectares of deforested land, but increased its domestic forest area by 275,000 hectares. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. Forests: this data is primarily sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? [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. Cutting them down disrupts or destroys established, species-rich ecosystems. This is calculated by taking each countrys imported deforestation and subtracting its exported deforestation. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. 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 Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, 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. Science, 349(6250), 827-832. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., & Kastner, T. (2019). The scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. 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.) Stage 2 The Early Transition phase is when countries start to lose forests very rapidly. 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. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. Notarnicola et al. Within this global aggregated trend there are many forest transitions at local, national or regional levels occurring. This might put the responsibility for ending deforestation solely on tropical countries. 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%. 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. Data on net forest change, afforestation and deforestation is sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations Forest Resources Assessment. Mapping tree density at a global scale. Many countries have much less forest today than they did in the past. 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. Thats a lot of trees! But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. At this stage, countries are still losing forest each year but at a lower rate than before. Tyukavina, A., Hansen, M. C., Potapov, P. V., Stehman, S. V., Smith-Rodriguez, K., Okpa, C., & Aguilar, R. (2017). It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. It doesnt capture trees that are cut down in planted forests; the land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest. 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 each year?. Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. How many trees does IKEA cut down a 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. First, it reiterates that deforestation is not a new problem: relatively small populations of the past were capable of driving a large amount of forest loss. Thats a lot of trees! When we treat these impacts equally we make it difficult to prioritize our efforts in the fight against deforestation. Curtis, P. G., Slay, C. M., Harris, N. L., Tyukavina, A., & Hansen, M. C. (2018). If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake particularly beef and lamb has the largest impact. 95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics. Global Environmental Change, 15(1), 23-31. With increasing development, urbanization and access to other energy resources, Africa will shift from local, subsistence activities into commercial commodity production both in agricultural products and timber extraction. To put this in perspective, that would be around one-sixth of the total carbon footprint of the average EU diet.36. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. (2017) estimate that the average EU diet, excluding deforestation, is responsible for 0.5 tonnes CO2 per person. Since 1961, the amount of land we use for agriculture increased by only 7%. That these countries have recently regained forests is also visible in the long-term forest trends above. To quote them, they wanted to prevent a common misperception that any tree cover loss shown on the map represents deforestation. Historical data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams book, Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis. The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end of deforestation is possible. The breakdown of forest loss globally, and by region, is shown in the chart.22. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. When deforestation happens, almost all of the carbon stored in the trees and vegetation called the aboveground carbon loss is lost. are added every year. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. By the 19th century the forest area was reduced to a third of what it once was. It was predominantly temperate forests that were being lost at this time. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. Deforestation rates accelerated. Lets start at the top. This helps consumers understand what products they should be concerned about, but also allows us to target specific supply chains. They should keep their domestic reforestation targets in perspective with their net impact on global forests. The consumption choices of people in these countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the world. Improvements in agricultural productivity tends to both drive and follow economic growth. Thats 6 billion hectares. Note that in this study, the category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a deforestation driver, and so is not included. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Instead of using wood for fuel we switch to fossil fuels, or hopefully, more renewables and nuclear energy. The net change in forest cover measures any gains in forest cover either through natural forest expansion or afforestation through tree-planting minus deforestation. Just over one-quarter of global forest loss is driven by deforestation. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Clearing of the Brazilian Amazon for pasture and croplands was a major driver of this loss. Lets now focus on the consumers of products driving deforestation. Mather, A. S., Fairbairn, J., & Needle, C. L. (1999). 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. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. 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. How many trees have been cut down? (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). But, overall, oilseeds and beef tend to top the list for most countries. What if this deforestation is being driven by consumers elsewhere? As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. We see this in the chart. Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). (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. 38. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. 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). Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. From 1700 to 1850, 19 million hectares were being cleared every decade. 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. Types and rates of forest disturbance in Brazilian Legal Amazon, 20002013. How much forest has the world lost? But the solution is not so simple. Thats equivalent to the area of South Africa. As we saw previously, this deforestation accounts for around one-quarter of global forest loss. Geographical Journal, 166(1), 2-13. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. 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. Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. Data from 1990 onwards is sourced from the UNs 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020.References:Williams, M. (2003). In the figure we see visual examples from the study of forest loss classification by Philip Curtis et al. Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. Lets take an example. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. Decisionmakers could give as much of our attention to European logging as to destruction of the Amazon. By the mid-18th century, only 4% of the country was forested. Forestry production and wildfires usually result in forest degradation the forest experiences short-term disturbance but if left alone is likely to regrow. If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. This means they were responsible for 12% of global deforestation.31 It is therefore true that rich countries are causing deforestation in poorer countries. Sometimes these restoration programmes pale in comparison to the deforestation theyre driving elsewhere. 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. Countries with a negative change (shown in red) are losing more than theyre able to restore. There is a marked divide in the state of the worlds forests. 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. Deforesting the earth: from prehistory to global crisis. Forest cover falls quickly, and the annual loss of forest is high. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. How many trees are lost to deforestation 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. That was 6.5% of global CO2 emissions.35. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. 95% of this occurs in the tropics. 71% of deforestation is for domestic production. But urban land accounts for just 1% of global habitable land. The default is shown for Brazil, but you can explore the data for a range of countries using the Change country button. and an argument for why deforestation is worse than degradation. How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . Thats a lot of trees! Stage 1 The Pre-Transition phase is defined by having high levels of forest cover and no or only very slow losses over time. Belhaven Press. But they wanted to contribute to a more informed discussion about where to focus forest conservation efforts by understanding why forests were being lost. 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 What we eat, not where we live country achieves economic growth it moves through each the... 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