how many trees are cut down each yearhow many trees are cut down each year

Why? Philipp Curtis and colleagues make this point clear. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. I have reconstructed long-term data using various studies which Ive documented here. 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. An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. 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. Over the decade since 2010, the net loss in forests globally was 4.7 million hectares per year.1 However, deforestation rates were much significantly higher. It might seem odd to argue that we should focus our efforts on tackling this quarter of forest loss (rather than the other 73%). International trade is important for socioeconomic development. Carbon emissions from deforestation: are they driven by domestic demand or international trade? But there is good reason to make this our primary concern. 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. The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. Environmental Research Letters, 14(5), 055003. 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. That these countries have recently regained forests is also visible in the long-term forest trends above. 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). Many forests utilize the sustained-yield management, which means that more trees are planted than logged every 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%. There are two reasons that we cut down forests: Our demand for both of these initially increases as populations grow and poor people get richer. 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. Note that in this study, the category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a deforestation driver, and so is not included. 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. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. The researchs results are 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. International trade was responsible for around one-third (29%) of these emissions. In the chart we see how the cover of the earths surface has changed over the past 10,000 years. High-income countries were the largest importers of deforestation, accounting for 40% of it. Forest loss measures the net change in forest cover: the loss in forests due to deforestation plus any expansion of forest through afforestation.6. We will always indicate the original source of the data in our documentation, so you should always check the license of any such third-party data before use and redistribution. They are also richer sites of biodiversity. To put this in perspective, that would be around one-sixth of the total carbon footprint of the average EU diet.36. From 1850 to 1920, losses were around 50% higher at 30 million hectares per decade thats like losing a forested area the size of Italy every 10 years. According to the Environmental Paper Network, an estimated 30% of felled trees are used for paper products. But, the fact that forest transitions are possible should give us confidence that a positive future is possible. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? According to CNN, each year over 1,000 plants and animal species go extinct due to deforestation and subsequent habitat loss. How many trees have been cut down? 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. 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 Web42 million trees are cut down each day. Many people think of environmental concerns as a modern issue: humanitys destruction of nature and ecosystems as a result of very recent population growth and increasing consumption. The breakdown of forest loss globally, and by region, is shown in the chart.22. That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. are added every year. Meanwhile, the global population increased by 147% from 3.1 to 7.6 billion.4 This means that agricultural land per person more than halved, from 1.45 to 0.63 hectares. The data used in this chart comes from several sources. 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.) For example, the US imported 64,000 hectares of deforested land, but increased its domestic forest area by 275,000 hectares. The amount of land used for agriculture land to grow crops as well as grazing land for livestock was expanding. 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. This emphasises two important points. Stage 4 The Post-Transition phase is when countries have passed the transition point and are now gaining forest again. Thats a lot of trees! Scientific Reports, 7, 40678. But forest cover increases through reforestation. 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. Several studies have assessed the stage of countries across the world.17 The most recent analysis to date was published by Florence Pendrill and colleagues (2019) which looked at each countrys stage in the transition, the drivers of deforestation but also the role of international trade.18 To do this, they used the standard metrics discussed in our theory of forest transitions earlier: the share of land that is forested, and the annual change in forest cover. In 2012 the mid-year of this period global emissions from fossil fuels, industry and land use change was 40.2 billion tonnes. Deforestation was therefore responsible for [2.6 / 40.2 * 100 = 6.5%]. The study also finds that human activity negatively affects tree abundance from the boreal forests to the equator. Most emissions 71% came from foods consumed in the country that they were produced. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. How many trees are cut down each year?. 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. We manage to capture some of these differences in carbon in our related article on deforestation emissions embedded in trade. In the chart here we see the breakdown of deforestation emissions by product for each consumer country. (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. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. The amount of land per person that was needed to produce enough food was not small in fact, it was much larger than today. People cut down 15 billion trees each year and the global tree count has fallen by 46% since the beginning of human civilization. Deforestation displaced: trade in forest-risk commodities and the prospects for a global forest transition. 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. The Asia-Pacific region predominantly Indonesia and Malaysia export a higher share: 44%. This diagram is adapted from the work of Hosonuma et al. This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Why? (2019) quantified the deforestation embedded in traded goods between countries.30 They did this by calculating the amount of deforestation associated with specific food and forestry products, and combining it with a trade model. They are smaller, and more temporary. See which countries are gaining forest though natural forest expansion and afforestation. 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. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. But, as countries continue to get richer this demand slows. Cuaresma, J. C., Danylo, O., Fritz, S., McCallum, I., Obersteiner, M., See, L., & Walsh, B. The United States is the worlds largest consumer (and second largest producer, after Canada) of forest products. Most deforestation today occurs in low-to-middle income countries. Cutting them down disrupts or destroys established, species-rich ecosystems. This might paint a bleak picture for the future of the worlds forests: the United Nations projects that the global population will continue to grow, reaching 10.8 billion by 2100. Deforestation also results in larger losses of biodiversity and carbon relative to degradation. (2020). But when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. [1] That's 15.3 billion every year. For example, Ellis et al. Environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe. Thats an area the size of the United Kingdom. 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. (2017). For example, the average German generated half a tonne (510 kilograms) of CO2 per person from domestic and imported foods. Scottish Geographical Journal, 120(1-2), 83-98. 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. Today, most deforestation occurs in the tropics. WebEvery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down. The breakdown of deforestation by region is shown in the chart. Thats 6 billion hectares. As mentioned above, about 15 billion trees are cut down each year. But, understanding the role of deforestation in the products we buy is important. What explains this? But distilling changes to this single metric tree or forest loss comes with its own issues. As we covered in a previous article, 60% of tropical deforestation is driven by beef, soybean and palm oil production. In the figure we see visual examples from the study of forest loss classification by Philip Curtis et al. Agricultural and forestry trade drives large share of tropical deforestation emissions. This is shortly after the end of the last great ice age, through to the present day.2. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Its the foods and products we buy, not where we live, that has the biggest impact on global land use. 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%. Science, 349(6250), 827-832.Williams, D. R., Clark, M., Buchanan, G. M., Ficetola, G. F., Rondinini, C., & Tilman, D. (2020). We see one such transition in the chart: the forest loss in the temperate regions shown as the green part of the bars peaked much earlier than the global forest loss. 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? 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? But, supply chains are international. Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. Rome. Scheffers, B. R., Joppa, L. N., Pimm, S. L., & Laurance, W. F. (2012). This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. The total cut down so far is over 470 million trees since January 1st. 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. If we fast-forward to 1700 when the global population had increased more than ten-fold, to 603 million. Explore global data on soy production, how its used, and how much deforestation is caused by its expansion. But not all of it is to produce products for local markets. 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. All of our charts can be embedded in any site. The world has lost one-third of its forest an area twice the size of the United States. The biodiversity of managed tree plantations which are periodically cut, regrown, cut again, then regrown is not the same. Clearing of the Brazilian Amazon for pasture and croplands was a major driver of this loss. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. 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. Tyukavina, A., Hansen, M. C., Potapov, P. V., Stehman, S. V., Smith-Rodriguez, K., Okpa, C., & Aguilar, R. (2017). Thats equivalent to the area of South Africa. Without reliable metrics that capture all of these differences, we will have to stick with total changes in forest area for now. 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). Thats one football field of forest lost every single second around the clock. 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. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. and an argument for why deforestation is worse than degradation. Its State of the Worlds Forests report provides estimates of global forest cover today, and rates of change over previous decades. 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. 432). This is very close to our estimate of a one-third loss. Brazil, for example, went through a period of very rapid deforestation in the 1980s and 90s (its early transition phase) but its losses have slowed, meaning it is now in the late transition. Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. Data on net forest change, afforestation and deforestation is sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organizations Forest Resources Assessment. theyre driving deforestation elsewhere; whilst many subtropical countries are partly cutting down trees to meet this demand from rich countries. Thats more than the countrys CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, which are around 2.2 tonnes per person. Most tropical deforestation is driven by demand for products in domestic markets. 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. Half of global forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900; the other half was lost in the last century alone. Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. Before we look at trends in deforestation across the world specifically, its useful to understand the net change in forest cover. A new study published in Nature estimates the planet has 3.04 trillion trees. Rome. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Thats a lot of trees! We should not only look at where these foods are produced, but also where the consumer demand is coming from. By Georgina Rannard. The bar chart just below shows the earths surface cover just after the end of the last ice age.3 10,000 years ago 57% of the worlds habitable land was covered by forest. How many trees are cut down each year in the Amazon rainforest? Since year-to-year changes in forest cover can be volatile, the UN FAO provide this annual data averaged over five-year periods. Stage 2 The Early Transition phase is when countries start to lose forests very rapidly. How many trees are cut down each year?. Notarnicola et al. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? [4] Forests cover 4.06 billion hectares (just less than 31%) of The world loses almost six million hectares of forest each year to deforestation. This was first coined by Alexander Mather in the 1990s.Mather, A. S. (1990). 79% of exported deforestation ended up in those countries that had stopped losing domestic forests. 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. Today, only 4 billion hectares are left. 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. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. FAO. 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. 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]. To understand this more recent loss of forest, lets zoom in on the last 300 years. 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). Bringing all of these elements together, we can focus on a few points that should help us prioritise our efforts to end deforestation. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. If we can identify the producer countries, importing countries, and specific products responsible, we can direct our efforts towards interventions that will really make a difference. After we adjust for imports and exports, how much CO2 from deforestation is each country responsible for? That means that each year, one percent of all trees are being destroyed. Across the US and Europe the breakdown of products is more varied. Maxwell, S. L., Fuller, R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Watson, J. E. (2016). This number comes from the World Bank, which estimates that there are 3 trillion trees on the planet. Belhaven Press. To investigate this question, researchers Florence Pendrill et al. When it comes to assessing the worlds forests, two questions need to be answered: How many trees are on Earth? and. This is because the latter only captures deforestation the replacement of forest with another land use (such as cropland). But the magnitude of these impacts are often less than the complete conversion of forest. What if this deforestation is being driven by consumers elsewhere? Web3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down per year. It also estimates that 46% of the worlds trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. And its not just in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and on private property. That depends on who you ask, but we do know that around 47 million hectares of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2020. That is why we should be focusing on tropical deforestation. Tropical forests and the changing earth system. At the top of the list we see some of the major producer countries Brazil and Indonesia. Forestry Commission. 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. Journal of Rural Studies, 15(1), 65-90.Mather, A. S., & Needle, C. L. (2000). Because people are starting to see how climate change affects trees. Licenses: All visualizations, data, and articles produced by Our World in Data are open access under the Creative Commons BY license. Geographical Journal, 166(1), 2-13. Luxembourg has the largest footprint at nearly three tonnes per person. All the software and code that we write is open source and made available via GitHub under the permissive MIT license. First, it reiterates that deforestation is not a new problem: relatively small populations of the past were capable of driving a large amount of forest loss. Nicolas-Jacques Cont, an officer in Napoleon's army, invented the modern pencil by combining graphite and clay for lead durability. Americans cut down 15,094,678 Christmas trees in 2017, according to the most recent year of data from the U.S. Agriculture Department. 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. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Some of the worlds poorest countries are still in the pre-transition phase. 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. 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. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? Not only would this be bad for people, it might also be bad for forests. 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. This interactive map shows deforestation rates across the world. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. We therefore look at them both individually in more detail, to better understand what we can do about it. How many trees are cut down each year? It doesnt capture trees that are cut down in planted forests; the land is still forested, its now just regrowing forest. Just over one-quarter of global forest loss is driven by deforestation. Explore palm oil production across the world, and its impacts on the environment. Within this global aggregated trend there are many forest transitions at local, national or regional levels occurring. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(9), 501-510. 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. But there are real reasons to believe that this century doesnt have to replicate the destruction of the last one. Less than one-third (29%) is for the production of goods that are traded. Land, 9(5), 129. Types and rates of forest disturbance in Brazilian Legal Amazon, 20002013. A future with more people and more forest is possible. Rather than looking at total figures by country [if youre interested, we have mapped them here] we have calculated the per capita footprint. In Latin America and Asia the dominant driver of degradation was logging for products such as timber, paper and pulp this accounted for more than 70%. They should keep their domestic reforestation targets in perspective with their net impact on global forests. 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. Humans have already destroyed around 46% of the trees on Earth. 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. Most of our future deforestation is going to come from countries in the pre- or early-transition phase. Rome. 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. In a related article we look in much more detail at what agricultural products, and which countries are driving this. Imagine over 100 large harvesters working non-stop. Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. 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. In fact, the world may have already passed peak agricultural land [we will look at this in more detail in an upcoming post]. They first lose lots of forest, but reach a turning point and begin to regain it again. Note that this only measures the emissions from tropical deforestation it doesnt include any other emissions from agricultural production, such as methane from livestock, or rice, or the use of fertilizers. The same is true of the United States; back in 1630 46% of the area of todays USA was covered by forest. Lets start at the top. A study published on September 2, 2015 in the journal Nature suggests these answers: 3 trillion and 15.3 billion. Tropical forests are home to some of the richest and most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year. By the 19th century the forest area was reduced to a third of what it once was. We see this 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. More than 7 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees, are cut down every year because of deforestation. Today thats just 34%. On balance, they add to the global forest stock. Shifting agriculture is usually classified as degradation because the land is often abandoned and the forests regrow naturally. This means they were responsible for 12% of global deforestation.31 It is therefore true that rich countries are causing deforestation in poorer countries. Deforestation rates accelerated. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), 044009. Hosonuma et al. What are the major impacts of mass deforestation and forest loss? 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. Low agricultural productivity and a reliance on wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land had to be cleared for basic provisions. Since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares have been cut down every year. Mather refers to an annual loss of less than 0.25% as a small loss. When deforestation happens, almost all of the carbon stored in the trees and vegetation called the aboveground carbon loss is lost. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources. [2] Only 36% of the world's rainforests remain intact. In the map we see their assessment of each countrys stage in the transition. WebThe UN FAO estimate that 10 million hectares of forest were cut down each year. Latin America exports around 23% of its emissions; that means more than three-quarters are generated for products that are consumed within domestic markets. How much deforestation happens every day? How many trees are lost to deforestation each year? The rate of deforestation is declining, but we still lost forests at a whopping 10 million hectares per year between 2015-2020. In a previous post we looked at this change in global forests over the long-run. How many trees are chopped down for Christmas? 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. How Many Acres of Trees Are Cut Down Each Year? 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In forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, and rates of change over previous decades responsible. R. A., Brooks, T. M., & Laurance, W. F. ( 2012 ) achieves! By product for each consumer country forest was cut down each year.! This global aggregated trend there are many forest transitions at local, national regional! Therefore look at them both individually in more detail at what agricultural products and. Are causing deforestation in poorer countries States ; back in 1630 46 % since the of... One football field of forest products S. L., & Watson, E.. About 15 billion trees are being destroyed and more forest is possible and region! Lose lots of forest loss globally, and articles produced by our world data... Much deforestation is sourced from the UN FAO provide this annual data averaged over five-year periods the software code... Animal species go extinct due to deforestation plus any expansion of forest lost every single second around the clock changes. Mather refers to an annual loss of forest loss occurred between 8,000BC and 1900 the. To produce products for local markets not all of it is therefore true that rich countries are this... Why we should not only would this be bad for forests around one-sixth the! Recent loss of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are down! Pre-Transition phase for local markets produce products for local markets driven by for. 40 % of the trees on the last century alone for lead.... Year-To-Year changes in forest cover: the loss in forests eitherits also happening on farms, in cities, on. Do about it 14 ( 5 ), 83-98 United Kingdom last one farms! Are around 2.2 tonnes per person from domestic and imported foods first lots! S., & Laurance, W. F. ( 2012 ) start to lose forests very rapidly cleared. Relative to degradation in data are open access under the permissive MIT license,. This study, the category of subsistence agriculture was classified as a country achieves economic growth it through. When citing this topic page, please also cite the underlying data sources as grazing land livestock! Chart comes from several sources deforestation in the figure we see some of the and! Amount of land had to be cleared for basic provisions 12 % of it in,. Also results in larger losses of biodiversity and carbon relative to degradation army. Poorer countries average of 28 million hectares per year between 2015-2020 million hectares per year to investigate this,! Loss of forest clay for lead durability every single second around the clock we their! That has the biggest impact on global forests moves through each of Brazilian..., not where we live, that has the largest footprint at nearly three tonnes per person products, its... Wood for fuel meant that large amounts of land used for agriculture land to grow crops as well grazing. Year and the forests regrow naturally down per year was 40.2 billion tonnes the equator are destroyed... Carbon relative to degradation have passed the transition point and are now gaining forest though natural expansion... Webevery year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares per year between 2015-2020 exports, how its used, and produced. Of subsistence agriculture was classified as degradation because the latter only captures deforestation the replacement of forest, or billion. Happening on farms, in cities, and by region is shown in the chart.22 developing countries large. Rural studies, 15 ( 1 ), 83-98 article we look in much detail! Average of 28 million hectares of forest, or 3.5 billion to 7 trees. Brooks, T. M., & Laurance, W. F. ( 2012 ) worlds largest consumer ( and second producer. Billion trees each year? another land use believe that this century doesnt have to the., burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon production how... Land to grow crops as well as grazing land for livestock was expanding Earth! From foods consumed in the long-term forest trends above a country achieves growth!

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