Note that in this study, the category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a deforestation driver, and so is not included. Degradation drivers, including logging and especially wildfires can definitely have major impacts on forest health: animal populations decline, trees can die, and CO2 is emitted. 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. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. (2020).References:FAO and UNEP. Mather, A. S. (2004). The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. Deforestation was therefore responsible for [2.6 / 40.2 * 100 = 6.5%]. The researchs results are Each year, an estimated 15 billion trees are cut down around the world. Most of our future deforestation is going to come from countries in the pre- or early-transition phase. Thats equivalent to the area of South Africa. Not all forest loss is equal: what is the difference between deforestation and forest degradation? An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. 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 researchers found that 36 million trees are cut down in urban areas each year, and 167,000 acres of impervious areas (concrete, asphalt, etc.) By Georgina Rannard. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. 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. Lewis, S. L., Edwards, D. P., & Galbraith, D. (2015). The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. This demand for resources and land is not always driven by domestic markets. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. Less than one-third (29%) is for the production of goods that are traded. 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. 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. 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. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 361(1465), 195-210. As to the number of trees this represents, its impossible to get an accurate count. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Net forest loss is not the same as deforestation it measures deforestation plus any gains in forest over a given period. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S. L., & Laurance, W. F. (2012). This is measured in hectares, which is equivalent to 10,000 m. Science Advances, 3(4), e1601047. Improvements in agricultural productivity tends to both drive and follow economic growth. Sometimes these restoration programmes pale in comparison to the deforestation theyre driving elsewhere. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. In the map we see their assessment of each countrys stage in the transition. (2012).Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). Brazil and Indonesia alone account for almost half. Then things started to speed up. How do these two measures compare? It was a net exporter. But by studying how forests have changed over time, theres good reason to think that a way forward is possible. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. How many trees have been cut down? Historical data pre-1990 is sourced from Michael Williams book, Deforesting the Earth: from prehistory to global crisis. Web42 million trees are cut down each day. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy, V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., & Romijn, E. (2012). But, it would be wrong to think that the only impact rich countries have on global forests is through changes in their domestic forests. Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? Lewis, S. L. (2006). Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone. The same is true of the United States; back in 1630 46% of the area of todays USA was covered by forest. Improvements in crop yields mean the per capita demand for agricultural land continues to fall. Humans have been cutting down trees for millennia. 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. Nature Sustainability, 1-9. When we cut down primary rainforest we are transforming this ecosystem forever. Since international demand is driving one-third of deforestation emissions, we have some opportunity to reduce emissions through global consumers and supply chains. It breaks the change in forests into four stages, explained by two variables: the amount of forest cover a region has, and the annual change in cover (how quickly it is losing or gaining forest).15. 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. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. From this understanding we can define five reasons why we lose forests: Thanks to satellite imagery, we can get a birds-eye view of what these drivers look like from above. Centuries ago it was mainly temperate regions that were driving global deforestation [we take a look at this longer history of deforestation in a related article]. The diet of the average Brazilian creates 2.7 tonnes of CO2 from deforestation alone. But we should keep these important aspects in mind when comparing forest losses and gains. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Deforestation tends to occur on forests that have been around for centuries, if not millennia. Can we bring it to an end? 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. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. But, understanding the role of deforestation in the products we buy is important. They first lose lots of forest, but reach a turning point and begin to regain it again. By the mid-18th century, only 4% of the country was forested. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. Deforestation in Africa is mainly driven by local populations and markets; only 9% of its emissions are exported. But the magnitude of these impacts are often less than the complete conversion of forest. They cut down their forests and replaced it with agricultural land long ago. 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 also contribute to global deforestation through the foods they import from poorer countries. Then things started to speed up. Pendrill, F., Persson, U. M., Godar, J., & Kastner, T. (2019). 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. This shifting agriculture category can be difficult to allocate between deforestation and degradation: it often requires close monitoring over time to understand how permanent these agricultural practices are. Latin America exports around 23% of its emissions; that means more than three-quarters are generated for products that are consumed within domestic markets. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. In the coming decades this is where we might expect to see the most rapid loss of forests unless these countries take action to prevent it, and the world supports them in the goal. 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? 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. We then get high-income countries share of deforestation as: [40% of the 29% that is traded], which is equal to 12%. 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. Some interesting facts state that every second, 1.5 acres of wood are cut down, But it can bridge between deforestation and degradation depending on the timeframe and permanence of these agricultural practices. But a small global population overall meant there was little pressure on forests to make space for land to grow food, and as wood for energy. Its useful to make this distinction because as we will see where the world has lost forests has shifted. There is a geographical argument (why the tropics?) 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. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. As we will see later, this is dominated by palm oil exports to Europe, China, India, North America and the Middle East. (2017) estimate that the average EU diet, excluding deforestation, is responsible for 0.5 tonnes CO2 per person. For example, the average German generated half a tonne (510 kilograms) of CO2 per person from domestic and imported foods. WebHealthy trees mean: Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. But it was then that England reached its transition point and since then, forests have doubled in size. Of CO2 from deforestation alone estimates that 46 % of the United States is the difference between and. 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