Science, 349(6250), 827-832. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. There is some bad news, though: that number is likely to increase by 20% by 2023. This is true for some problems, such as climate change. Mapping tree density at a global scale. How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? 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. But the magnitude of these impacts are often less than the complete conversion of forest. 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. One of the reasons poorer countries clear forest to make room for farmland is that they achieve low crop yields. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. After seeing this data, people might argue that we should cut back on trade. How many trees have been cut down? Deforestation in Africa is mainly driven by local populations and markets; only 9% of its emissions are exported. Countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in the early transition phase and are losing forests quickly. Instead of using wood for fuel we switch to fossil fuels, or hopefully, more renewables and nuclear energy. The diet of the average Brazilian creates 2.7 tonnes of CO2 from deforestation alone. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. Many farmers rely on international buyers to earn a living and improve their livelihoods. 432). High-income countries were the largest importers of deforestation, accounting for 40% of it. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, Not only would this be bad for people, it might also be bad for forests. The first step in doing this is for rich countries to monitor their deforestation impacts overseas more closely. How many trees are cut down each year?. In the chart we see how the cover of the earths surface has changed over the past 10,000 years. 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. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (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. 2020. But the solution is not so simple. Lets start at the top. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. Cuaresma, J. C., Danylo, O., Fritz, S., McCallum, I., Obersteiner, M., See, L., & Walsh, B. Even with the most basic of lifestyles compared to todays standards, the per capita footprint of our ancestors would have been large. Today thats just 34%. But by studying how forests have changed over time, theres good reason to think that a way forward is possible. The United Nations, as well as experts at the World Wildlife Fund and Global Forest Watch, found that one million animals are in danger of extinction as a result of how much deforestation has occurred. At the beginning of this phase, the forest area is at its lowest point. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(9), 501-510. This explains historical trends we see for countries across the world today. The Asia-Pacific region predominantly Indonesia and Malaysia export a higher share: 44%. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. Types and rates of forest disturbance in Brazilian Legal Amazon, 20002013. What activities are driving this? The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. Classifying drivers of global forest loss. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Imported emissions are also high for Taiwan, Belgium and the Netherlands at around one tonne. 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. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8753en. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. 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. 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 As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. 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 still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. 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. Across temperate forests the world gained 6 million hectares in the last decade. 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. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. This might put the responsibility for ending deforestation solely on tropical countries. I have reconstructed long-term data using various studies which Ive documented here. It results in a permanent conversion of forest into an alternative land use. This is very close to our estimate of a one-third loss. Most of our future deforestation is going to come from countries in the pre- or early-transition phase. Deforesting the earth: from prehistory to global crisis. In the map we see the net deforestation embedded in trade for each country. But we should keep these important aspects in mind when comparing forest losses and gains. The world lost 1.5 billion hectares of forest over that period. Science, 361(6407), 1108-1111. How do these two measures compare? 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. In the figure we see visual examples from the study of forest loss classification by Philip Curtis et al. But, as countries continue to get richer this demand slows. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. (2012) gathered this data from a range of sources including country submissions as part of their REDD+ readiness activities, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) country profiles, UNFCCC national communications and scientific studies. Rome. 38. This is probably less than many people would expect. Luxembourg has the largest footprint at nearly three tonnes per person. 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). But it was then that England reached its transition point and since then, forests have doubled in size. 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 2012 the mid-year of this period global emissions from fossil fuels, industry and land use change was 40.2 billion tonnes. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Which countries are gaining, and which are losing forest? Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., & Kastner, T. (2019). [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Then things started to speed up. The story of both soy and palm oil are complex and its not obvious that eliminating these products will fix the problem. The paths between these end boxes indicate where emissions are being traded the wider the bar, the more emissions are embedded in these products. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Carbon emissions from deforestation: are they driven by domestic demand or international trade? Forest degradation measures a thinning of the canopy a reduction in the density of trees in the area but without a change in land use. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. Forestry production and wildfires usually result in forest degradation the forest experiences short-term disturbance but if left alone is likely to regrow. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, reducing meat and dairy intake particularly beef and lamb has the largest impact. Countries that lie along this line would have a net-neutral impact on global forests: the area they are causing to deforestation overseas is exactly as large as the area they are regrowing at home. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. By Georgina Rannard. In just over 100 years the world lost as much forest as it had in the previous 9,000 years. (2018), published in Science.20, Commodity-driven deforestation and urbanization are deforestation: the forested land is completely cleared and converted into another land use a farm, mining site, or city. That was 6.5% of global CO2 emissions.35. As I mentioned earlier, 14% of deforestation today is driven by consumers in rich countries. Important aspects in mind when comparing forest losses and gains NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall people... They are disappearing at an alarming rate of a one-third loss, its impossible to get richer this slows... Earlier, 14 % of the earths surface has changed over time, good... 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