Forest cover is the amount of land area that is covered by forest. It may be measured as relative (in percent) or absolute (in square kilometres/square miles). Around a third of the world's surface is covered with forest, with closed-canopy forest accounting for 4 - 5 billion hectares of land.[1]
Definition
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a forest is defined as land spanning more than Template:Convert with trees higher than Template:Convert and a canopy cover of more than 10%, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.[2]
Ecological impact
Global forest cover, however crucial for soil health, the water cycle, climate and air quality it is, is severely threatened by deforestation, as a direct consequence of agriculture, grazing,[3] and mining.[4] Forest cover can be increased by reforestation and afforestation efforts, but it is virtually impossible to restore the full range of ecological services once natural forests are converted to other land uses.
Extent
Since the onset of agriculture (about 12,000 years ago), the number of trees worldwide has dropped by 46%, according to one research published in 2018.[5]
Global forest cover now has been estimated to be just 31% or Template:Convert in 2006[6] with 12-yearly losses (2000-2012) amounting to Template:Convert and reforestation gains about Template:Convert.[7] According to the FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, the world has a total forest area of Template:Convert, which is 31% of the total land area.[8]
More than half (54%) of the world’s forests are found in only five countries (Brazil, Canada, China, Russia and the USA).[9][8]
The largest part of the forest (45%) is found in the tropical domain, followed by the boreal, temperate and subtropical domains. These domains are further divided into terrestrial global ecological zones, 20 of which contain some forest cover. Almost half the forest area (49%) is relatively intact, while 9% is found in fragments with little or no connectivity. Tropical rainforests and boreal coniferous forests are the least fragmented, whereas subtropical dry forest and temperate oceanic forests are among the most fragmented. Roughly 80% of the world’s forest area is found in patches larger than Template:Convert. The remaining 20% is located in more than 34 million patches across the world – the vast majority less than Template:Convert in size.[10]
The world’s total growing stock of trees decreased slightly, from Template:Convert in 1990 to Template:Convert in 2020, due to a net decrease in forest area. On the other hand, growing stock is increasing per unit area globally and in all regions; it rose from 132 m3 per ha in 1990 to 137 m3 per ha in 2020. Growing stock per unit area is highest in the tropical forests of South and Central America and West and Central Africa.[8]
See also
- By country:
- List of countries by forest area
- Category:Forests by country
- Deforestation by region
- Cover crop
- Plant cover
- Continuous cover forestry
- Sustainable forestry
Sources
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References
- ↑ Forest Cover - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ↑ Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 – Terms and definitions{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. FAO(2018)
- ↑ State of the World's Forests 2016{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. FAO(2016). ISBN 978-92-5-109208-8
- ↑ Global Tree Cover Loss Rose 51 Percent in 2016. World Resources Institute(2017-10-23). Retrieved 2018-02-16.
- ↑ Global forest survey finds trillions of trees. Nature({Template:Date).
- ↑ Forest definition and extent. United Nations Environment Programme(2010-01-27). Retrieved 2014-11-16.
- ↑ High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science({Template:Date).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 – Key findings{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. FAO(2020). ISBN 978-92-5-132581-0
- ↑ The State of the World's Forests 2020. In brief – Forests, biodiversity and people{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. FAO & UNEP(2020). ISBN 978-92-5-132707-4
- ↑ The State of the World's Forests 2020. In brief – Forests, biodiversity and people{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. FAO & UNEP(2020). ISBN 978-92-5-132707-4
External links
- Interactive Map. Global Forest Watch(2014-07-28). Retrieved 2018-02-16.