The global population at this time was small and growing very slowly there were fewer than 50 million people in the world. Around half of this deforestation is offset by regrowing forests, so overall we lose around five million hectares each year. The consumption choices of people in these countries cause deforestation elsewhere in the world. Humans have been cutting down trees for millennia. How many trees are cut down each year?. The turn of the 20th century is when global forest loss reached the halfway point: half of total forest loss occurred from 8,000BC to 1900; the other half occurred in the last century alone. This demand for resources and land is not always driven by domestic markets. How many trees are cut down each year? How many trees are cut down each year? Countries which lie above the grey line such as the United States, Finland, China restore more forest each year domestically than they import from elsewhere. By Georgina Rannard. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. 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. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. Land, 9(5), 129. Many countries have much less forest today than they did in the past. Not all forest loss is equal: what is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation? Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Forest Transitions: why do we lose then regain forests? Classifying drivers of global forest loss. 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. This is nearly always true of planted forests in temperate regions there, planted forests are long-established and do not replace primary existing forests. This often comes at the cost of forests. But it can bridge between deforestation and degradation depending on the timeframe and permanence of these agricultural practices. But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. It assumes the impact of clearing primary rainforest in the Amazon to produce soybeans is the same as logging planted forests in the UK. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, 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). Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every year. How many trees does IKEA cut down a It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. 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. The first step in doing this is for rich countries to monitor their deforestation impacts overseas more closely. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. Data on net forest change, afforestation and deforestation is sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations Forest Resources Assessment. Since 1961, the amount of land we use for agriculture increased by only 7%. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, When we cut down primary rainforest we are transforming this ecosystem forever. The latter will experience short-term environmental impacts, but will ultimately regrow. This is shortly after the end of the last great ice age, through to the present day.2. Forest loss measures the net change in forest cover: the loss in forests due to deforestation plus any expansion of forest through afforestation.6. The course and drivers of the forest transition: the case of France. This increase was mostly driven by tropical deforestation as countries across Asia and Latin America followed the path of Europe and North America. How much deforestation happens every day? 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. Growing all those trees requires about 19.7 square miles of land. Is there a forest transition? Environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe. In the article we will look at the reasons we lose forest; how these can be differentiated in a useful way; and what this means for understanding our priorities in tackling forest loss. For example, after we adjust for all the goods that the UK imports and exports, it caused more deforestation elsewhere than it did domestically. In their analysis of global forest loss, Philip Curtis and colleagues used satellite images to assess where and why the world lost forests between 2001 and 2015. Why? Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. 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 Data on the annual change in domestic forests is sourced from the UN FAOs Forest Resources Assessment. and an argument for why deforestation is worse than degradation. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. (2020).References:FAO and UNEP. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. 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. 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. From 1700 to 1850, 19 million hectares were being cleared every decade. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per 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.) As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. Another way that richer countries can contribute is by investing in technologies such as improved seed varieties, fertilizers and agricultural practices that allow farmers to increase yields. Forests, biodiversity and people. Stage 4 The Post-Transition phase is when countries have passed the transition point and are now gaining forest again. We should not only look at where these foods are produced, but also where the consumer demand is coming from. Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. Lets start at the top. 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. Most tropical deforestation is driven by demand for products in domestic markets. The UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Many countries have not only ended deforestation, but actually achieved substantial reforestation. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. 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. Belhaven Press. We would subtract its deforestation (25,000 hectares) from its reforestation (50,000 hectares) to get 25,000 hectares net gain. However, most align on the relative change in forests over this period. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. 2020. Science, 361(6407), 1108-1111. And, we might place more value on preserving primary, native forests that havent yet been deforested over regrowing forests that have lost their previous ecosystems. 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. Deforestation in Africa is mainly driven by local populations and markets; only 9% of its emissions are exported. Just over one-quarter of global forest loss is driven by deforestation. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Africa is also different here. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. For example, the average German generated half a tonne (510 kilograms) of CO2 per person from domestic and imported foods. Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable. Do rich countries import deforestation from overseas? Thats more than the countrys CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, which are around 2.2 tonnes per person. An area the size of the United States. International trade is important for socioeconomic development. The amount of land per person that was needed to produce enough food was not small in fact, it was much larger than today. But, as countries continue to get richer this demand slows. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. The scale of deforestation today might give us little hope for protecting our diverse forests. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. 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 researchers found that 36 million trees are cut down in urban areas each year, and 167,000 acres of impervious areas (concrete, asphalt, etc.) After long periods of forest clearance in the past, most of todays richest countries are increasing tree cover through afforestation. 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). I have therefore excluded these categories so we can focus on how habitable land is used. Across sub-tropical countries we have a mix: many upper-middle income countries are now in the late transition phase. 95% of the worlds deforestation occurs in the tropics [we look at this breakdown again later]. 27% of forest loss results from commodity-driven deforestation cutting down forests to grow crops such as soy, palm oil, cocoa, to raise livestock on pasture, and mining operations. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Our crop yields improve and so we need less land for agriculture. Net importers of deforestation (shown in brown) are countries that contribute more to deforestation in other countries than they do in their home country. [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of In just over 100 years the world lost as much forest as it had in the previous 9,000 years. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. 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. The same is true of the United States; back in 1630 46% of the area of todays USA was covered by forest. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. 14% of deforestation is driven by consumers in the worlds richest countries we import beef, vegetable oils, cocoa, coffee and paper that has been produced on deforested land.12. Its the foods and products we buy, not where we live, that has the biggest impact on global land use. 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. 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.) Estimates vary, but most date the end of the last great ice age to around 11,700 years ago.Kump, L. R., Kasting, J. F., & Crane, R. G. (2004). Brazil and Indonesia alone account for almost half. 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. The trees are not expected to regrow. The net change in forest cover measures any gains in forest cover either through natural forest expansion or afforestation through tree-planting minus deforestation. 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. They first lose lots of forest, but reach a turning point and begin to regain it again. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. At the end of this stage, countries are approaching the transition point. But by studying how forests have changed over time, theres good reason to think that a way forward is possible. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. For the last two centuries forests have been growing and are almost back to where they were 1000 years ago.13. 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 cut down their forests and replaced it with agricultural land long ago. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. 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? Hence, we should keep in mind that forest area is not the only aspect that matters where that forest is and how rich in life it is matters too. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. 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. To quote them, they wanted to prevent a common misperception that any tree cover loss shown on the map represents deforestation. But, understanding the role of deforestation in the products we buy is important. There is little forest left. From the chart we see that this was driven by the continued expansion of land for agriculture. Rudel, T. K., Coomes, O. T., Moran, E., Achard, F., Angelsen, A., Xu, J., & Lambin, E. (2005). This emphasises two important points. Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). But its not the case for deforestation. This is very close to our estimate of a one-third loss. The State of the Worlds Forests 2020. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. 95% of this occurs in the tropics. 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 Improvements in agricultural productivity tends to both drive and follow economic growth. 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. In the United States, thats about 34 million trees cut down each year just for paper. Thats an area the size of the United Kingdom. At their Global Forest Watch platform they were already presenting maps of forest loss across the world. In the map we see the net deforestation embedded in trade for each country. In the chart we see deforestation emissions per person, measured in tonnes of CO2 per year. How many trees does IKEA cut down a Luxembourg has the largest footprint at nearly three tonnes per person. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. Historical data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams book, Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis. 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. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. (2017). Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. Crowther, T. W., Glick, H. B., Covey, K. R., Bettigole, C., Maynard, D. S., Thomas, S. M., & Tuanmu, M. N. (2015). Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Please consult our full legal disclaimer. How many trees have been cut down? How many trees have been cut down? (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. are added every year. Forests are mainly cut and burned to make space for local, subsistence agriculture or for fuelwood for energy. By demand for products in domestic markets: Pearson Prentice Hall ), 055003 domestic and imported foods, of... In temperate regions there, planted forests in temperate regions there, planted forests are long-established and do not primary. Safer and more sociable two centuries forests have changed over time, theres good to... Same as logging planted forests are cut down around the world when forests are,... 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