how many trees are cut down each year

This is measured in hectares, which is equivalent to 10,000 m. Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). How many trees are cut down each year?. 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%. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. The default is shown for Brazil, but you can explore the data for a range of countries using the Change country button. 95% of global deforestation occurs in the tropics. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Rather than looking at total figures by country [if youre interested, we have mapped them here] we have calculated the per capita footprint. This demand for resources and land is not always driven by domestic markets. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. Across sub-tropical countries we have a mix: many upper-middle income countries are now in the late transition phase. 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. 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 researchs results are The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. The rate of forest loss changed a lot. How many trees does IKEA cut down a Many countries have not only ended deforestation, but actually achieved substantial reforestation. 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. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. The Asia-Pacific region predominantly Indonesia and Malaysia export a higher share: 44%. The global population at this time was small and growing very slowly there were fewer than 50 million people in the world. There is a geographical argument (why the tropics?) And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Today thats just 34%. 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. They are smaller, and more temporary. Countries below the line such as the UK and Germany are not growing forests fast enough to offset the deforestation theyre creating elsewhere. 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. Economic development and forest cover: evidence from satellite data. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. It feeds into the popular idea that eating local is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. Forest transition theory and the reforesting of Scotland. But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? 59% occurs in Latin America, with a further 28% from Southeast Asia. Which countries are gaining, and which are losing forest? Note that in this study, the category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a deforestation driver, and so is not included. We need more fuelwood to cook, more houses to live in, and importantly, more food to eat. Second, it makes clear how much deforestation accelerated over the last century. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 361(1465), 195-210. 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. Stage 2 The Early Transition phase is when countries start to lose forests very rapidly. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. Weve seen the five key drivers of forest loss. Even with the most basic of lifestyles compared to todays standards, the per capita footprint of our ancestors would have been large. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. At this stage, countries are still losing forest each year but at a lower rate than before. Tropical forests are also large carbon sinks, and can store a lot of carbon per unit area.26. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. estimate a 35% loss of global forest cover since 10,000. 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. But we should keep these important aspects in mind when comparing forest losses and gains. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. 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.) 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. Our crop yields improve and so we need less land for agriculture. They also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries. For example, after we adjust for all the goods that the UK imports and exports, it caused more deforestation elsewhere than it did domestically. Please consult our full legal disclaimer. Africa is also an outlier as a result of how many people still rely on wood as their primary energy source. Its useful to make this distinction because as we will see where the world has lost forests has shifted. Geographical Journal, 166(1), 2-13. It was a net importer. 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. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. See which countries are gaining forest though natural forest expansion and afforestation. Many farmers rely on international buyers to earn a living and improve their livelihoods. Whether we look at the distribution of endemic mammal species, bird species, or amphibian species, the map is the same: subtropical countries are packed with unique wildlife. Why should we care most about tropical deforestation? How many trees have been cut down? The latter will experience short-term environmental impacts, but will ultimately regrow. 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. The rate of population growth tends to slow down. 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. The breakdown of deforestation by region is shown in the chart. 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. Urbanization, the other driver of deforestation accounts for just 0.6%. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. How many trees have been cut down? Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. Noriko Hosonuma et al. Mather, A. S. (2004). How Many Trees are Cut down for Paper Each Year . Approximately 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are being cut each year according to a report referenced on the Rainforest Action Networks website (RAN) and other publications. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? 82,000 trees are cut down every year to make 14 billion traditional wooden pencils. This means they were responsible for 12% of global deforestation.31 It is therefore true that rich countries are causing deforestation in poorer countries. 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. Humanitys biggest footprint is due to what we eat, not where we live. Rural Sociology, 63(4), 533-552. For example, the average German generated half a tonne (510 kilograms) of CO2 per person from domestic and imported foods. Forestry Commission. How much deforestation happens every day? 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. 71% of deforestation is for domestic production. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. To put this in perspective, that would be around one-sixth of the total carbon footprint of the average EU diet.36. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. (2017). 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. 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. Forests: this data is primarily sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). We therefore look at them both individually in more detail, to better understand what we can do about it. If poorer countries are cutting down forests to make food for rich consumers, then we should just stop trading these goods. Deforesting the earth: from prehistory to global crisis. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. How many trees are cut down each year? Thats an area the size of the United Kingdom. The carbon footprint of diets across the EU vary from country-to-country, and estimates vary depending on how much land use change is factored into these figures. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. 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? 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. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. At the end of this stage, countries are approaching the transition point. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. To investigate this question, researchers Florence Pendrill et al. On the x-axis we have imported deforestation. 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. 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. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. In 2012 the mid-year of this period global emissions from fossil fuels, industry and land use change was 40.2 billion tonnes. 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. This gives us an indication of the impact of the average persons diet. High-income countries were the largest importers of deforestation, accounting for 40% of it. In the tropics, some forestry production can be classified as deforestation when primary rainforests are cut down to make room for managed tree plantations.21. Notarnicola et al. As we will see later, this would be a distraction from our primary concern: ending tropical deforestation. Stage 4 The Post-Transition phase is when countries have passed the transition point and are now gaining forest again. Most of todays richest countries all of Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea have passed the turning point and are now regaining forest. 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. 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. Globally we deforest around ten million hectares of forest every year.11 Thats an area the size of Portugal every year. Loss of Biodiversity: Forests are the only liveable habitat for a variety of species around the globe many of which have not even have been discovered. It results in a permanent conversion of forest into an alternative land use. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. Around half of this deforestation is offset by regrowing forests, so overall we lose around five million hectares each year. Without reliable metrics that capture all of these differences, we will have to stick with total changes in forest area for now. And to identify where deforestation is occurring; perhaps as important, show where forest loss is not deforestation. To quote them, they wanted to prevent a common misperception that any tree cover loss shown on the map represents deforestation. Stage 1 The Pre-Transition phase is defined by having high levels of forest cover and no or only very slow losses over time. It was predominantly temperate forests that were being lost at this time. 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.) 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. Tropical forests, on aggregate, have also passed peak deforestation in the 1980s the longest of all bars but have not passed the transition to reforestation. 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. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8753en. 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. Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S. L., & Laurance, W. F. (2012). Lets start at the top. By Georgina Rannard. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. Category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a deforestation driver, and which are losing forest each year.... There were fewer than 50 million people in the late transition phase 's army, invented the modern by! 40 % of felled trees are used for Paper each year but at a lower rate than before importers deforestation... The Research says 15.3 billion trees, are cut down each year one... The tropics driver of deforestation accounts for just 0.6 % is when countries not... Interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world Malaysia export a higher share: 44 % across the.! 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