The change is permanent. 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. Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of We can illustrate this through the so-called Forest Transition Model.14 This is shown in the chart. 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. Across sub-tropical countries we have a mix: many upper-middle income countries are now in the late transition phase. 71% of deforestation is for domestic production. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. Can we bring it to an end? I have therefore excluded these categories so we can focus on how habitable land is used. Mather, A. S., Fairbairn, J., & Needle, C. L. (1999). Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. As I mentioned earlier, 14% of deforestation today is driven by consumers in rich countries. 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. The latter will experience short-term environmental impacts, but will ultimately regrow. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. Historical data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams book, Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis. 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. Thats a lot of trees! 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. Land, 9(5), 129. Pre-1961 land use is sourced from the work of Ellis et al. 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. The definition of forest can vary depending on aspects such as tree density and height. They should keep their domestic reforestation targets in perspective with their net impact on global forests. This demand for resources and land is not always driven by domestic markets. High-income countries were the largest importers of deforestation, accounting for 40% of it. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. It provides long-term estimates on forest cover in 10,000 and 5,000 years BP. This might put the responsibility for ending deforestation solely on tropical countries. Science, 349(6250), 827-832. 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. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. The changes to the forest are often temporary and its expected that they will regrow. Countries with a positive change (shown in green) are regrowing forest faster than theyre losing it. 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. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake particularly beef and lamb has the largest impact. Still, more than half of the worlds habitable land was forested. Firstly, international trade does play a role in deforestation its responsible for almost one-third of emissions. If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. 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. There is little forest left. 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. 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). How many trees are cut down each year?. To investigate this question, researchers Florence Pendrill et al. It would be good if there was data available that would capture these additional aspects. 79% of exported deforestation ended up in those countries that had stopped losing domestic forests. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. 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 world passed peaked deforestation in the 1980s and it has been on the decline since then we take a look at rates of forest loss since 1700 in our follow-up post. This is also true for major economies such as China and India. Across Africa, fuelwood and charcoal played a much larger role it accounted for more than half (52%). How much do people in rich countries contribute to deforestation overseas? 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.) More than four times as much. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Nearly all 95% of this deforestation occurs in the tropics. Brazil and Indonesia alone account for almost half. 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 much deforestation happens every day? Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. Tropical forests are also large carbon sinks, and can store a lot of carbon per unit area.26. But they wanted to contribute to a more informed discussion about where to focus forest conservation efforts by understanding why forests were being lost. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. But its not the case for deforestation. Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S. L., & Laurance, W. F. (2012). But then the trend turned, and it moved from deforestation to reforestation. Stage 4 The Post-Transition phase is when countries have passed the transition point and are now gaining forest again. Thats 6 billion hectares. 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. Clearing of the Brazilian Amazon for pasture and croplands was a major driver of this loss. Mapping tree density at a global scale. The data used in this chart comes from several sources. At this stage, countries are still losing forest each year but at a lower rate than before. Forest Transitions: why do we lose then regain forests? How much deforestation happens every day? Science Advances, 3(4), e1601047. The grey line marks where the area of domestic regrowth of forests is exactly equal to imported deforestation. To understand this more recent loss of forest, lets zoom in on the last 300 years. 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. There are other aspects to consider. How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. When we treat these impacts equally we make it difficult to prioritize our efforts in the fight against deforestation. 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. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. 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. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. This is calculated by taking each countrys imported deforestation and subtracting its exported deforestation. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. If poorer countries are cutting down forests to make food for rich consumers, then we should just stop trading these goods. After long periods of forest clearance in the past, most of todays richest countries are increasing tree cover through afforestation. But this is no longer the case: forest loss across North America and Europe is now the result of harvesting forestry products from tree plantations, or tree loss in wildfires. The biodiversity of managed tree plantations which are periodically cut, regrown, cut again, then regrown is not the same. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. Countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in the early transition phase and are losing forests quickly. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Most traded emissions are embedded in soy and palm oil exports to China and India; and beef, soy and palm oil exports to Europe. Tyukavina, A., Hansen, M. C., Potapov, P. V., Stehman, S. V., Smith-Rodriguez, K., Okpa, C., & Aguilar, R. (2017). How many trees are cut down each year? The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. At the beginning of this phase, the forest area is at its lowest point. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. By Georgina Rannard. 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 do these two measures compare? Then things started to speed up. Global Environmental Change, 15(1), 23-31. Explore long-term changes in deforestation, and deforestation rates across the world today. 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. Today, only 4 billion hectares are left. How many trees are cut down each year?. Deforestation displaced: trade in forest-risk commodities and the prospects for a global forest transition. Not all forest loss is equal: what is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation? Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. 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. It doesnt capture trees that are cut down in planted forests; the land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest. Most of our future deforestation is going to come from countries in the pre- or early-transition phase. Cuaresma, J. C., Danylo, O., Fritz, S., McCallum, I., Obersteiner, M., See, L., & Walsh, B. We lost 150 million hectares an area half the size of India during that decade. Deforestation also results in larger losses of biodiversity and carbon relative to degradation. See the distribution of global forests and which countries have the most forest cover. Ellis, E. C., Beusen, A. H., & Goldewijk, K. K. (2020). In 2012 the mid-year of this period global emissions from fossil fuels, industry and land use change was 40.2 billion tonnes. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. But, the fact that forest transitions are possible should give us confidence that a positive future is possible. Why? And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. Even with the most basic of lifestyles compared to todays standards, the per capita footprint of our ancestors would have been large. This map shows the net change in forest cover across the world. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. 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. Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. The breakdown of forest loss globally, and by region, is shown in the chart.22. The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end of deforestation is possible. When in history did we lose it? Forest transitions: towards a global understanding of land use change. But, supply chains are international. In the chart we see deforestation emissions per person, measured in tonnes of CO2 per year. Nearly half (47%) of France was forested 1000 years ago; today thats just under one-third (31.4%). At their Global Forest Watch platform they were already presenting maps of forest loss across the world. At the end of this stage, countries are approaching the transition point. International trade was responsible for around one-third (29%) of these emissions. According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. 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. Net forest loss is not the same as deforestation it measures deforestation plus any gains in forest over a given period. Thats like losing an area the size of Portugal every two years. Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. 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. 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