Indicators of Forest Extent

Forest Extent

Last Updated on April 4, 2024

The Forest Extent Indicator aims to monitor the total area of forest worldwide, including unmanaged and managed natural forests. The indicator currently measures tree cover extent in the year 2020 as a best-available proxy for forest. Note that tree cover extent also includes planted trees whether they are tree crops such as orchards, palm oil and coffee, or planted forests such as pulp or timber plantations — forms of tree cover that are not considered forests under some definitions.

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How are forests different from tree cover?

There are hundreds of definitions of the word forest based on factors including land use, patch size, species composition, legal designation, canopy density, height and more. This indicator relies on the biophysical indicator of tree cover as measured by tree height and canopy density because it can be measured consistently with satellite imagery at a global scale. The tree height data used in this report are based on Potapov et al. (2022),  which defines tree cover as woody vegetation with a height of at least 5 meters and a canopy density of at least 20-25 percent at 30-meter resolution. This definition includes unmanaged and managed natural forests, tree plantations and urban forests. A minimum patch size, such as excluding tree cover below 0.5 hectares, is also included in many forest definitions but is not applied in this indicator. Learn more on the Key Terms and Definitions page.

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How much tree cover exists?

In 2020, the world had 4.02 billion hectares of tree cover covering 30 percent of land on Earth.  This estimate of global tree cover encompasses unmanaged and managed natural forests as well as planted trees. Planted trees make up approximately 11% of global tree cover.  

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How is tree cover distributed throughout the world?

Tree cover is distributed across the globe and exists in nearly every country, though 50 percent is found in only five countries — Russia, Brazil, Canada, the United States and China — which have the highest total area of tree cover.  As these are also some of the largest countries by total land area, it is important to also look at the percent of tree cover to see how much of each country is under tree cover. The countries with the highest percent, where more than 90 percent of the land has tree cover, are Equatorial Guinea, French Guiana, Gabon, Liberia, the Solomon Islands, Suriname and Vanuatu.

 

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Countries with the most tree cover

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Climate, geology and human influence shape the different types of forests around the world. Tropical and subtropical forests, located close to the equator, account for 61 percent of 2020 global tree cover by area.  Boreal forests, characterized by primarily coniferous forests in northern latitudes, make up 24 percent of global tree cover.  Temperate forests, which are found in the moderate climates between the tropics and boreal regions and consist of a mix of broadleaf and coniferous forest types, account for about 15 percent of global tree cover.  Sparsely dispersed trees can also exist in savannas and other ecoregions and play an important role in local ecosystems and economies. See the Trees outside Forests Indicator for more information.

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The world’s forests can be divided into boreal, temperate, tropical, and subtropical climate domains<fn>FAO 2012, http://www.fao.org/3/ap861e/ap861e00.pdf</fn>

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How much primary forest exists?

Primary forests are those that have not been cleared or degraded by human activity in recent history  and thus do not include recently reforested areas. They tend to be highly important for biodiversity and carbon storage. Primary forests account for roughly 50 percent of all forests in the tropics (1.03 billion hectares).  Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia have the most primary forest in absolute terms, whereas the territory of French Guiana, Gabon and Suriname have the highest proportion of their total land area covered by primary forest.  Primary forests have not been mapped comprehensively outside the tropics.

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How much tree cover is managed versus unmanaged?

Unmanaged natural forests include primary forests and other naturally regenerating forests without any signs of management, whereas managed natural forests show signs of logging, clear cuts and other management activities.  Managed natural forests, such as those managed for timber production or to protect steep slopes, are common across temperate and boreal regions. New data show that 41 percent of global forests are managed natural forests, while 48 percent are unmanaged natural forests.  The remaining 11 percent consist of planted trees, including forms of tree cover such as orchards, tree crops and fastwood monocultures that are not considered forests by some definitions.

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Is global tree cover increasing or decreasing?

The world lost 101 million hectares (Mha) in net tree cover between 2000 and 2020.  The net change in forest area — the difference between the amounts of tree cover gain and tree cover loss — is highly variable geographically. The tropics and subtropics lost 92 Mha and the boreal lost 14 Mha of tree cover, while temperate forests gained 4.5 Mha.  However, net tree cover gain doesn’t mean there is no tree cover loss, and gain in temperate forests may include loss in old growth forests paired with gain in monoculture managed forests.

During this 20-year period, Brazil had the highest net loss of tree cover by area, more than three times the next highest country.  Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Paraguay, Mozambique and Indonesia also experienced high net losses. Cambodia, Paraguay and Uganda experienced the highest percentage of net tree cover loss, losing over 23% of their tree cover between 2000 and 2020. While net tree cover loss outpaced tree cover gain, 36 countries experienced net tree cover gain, including China, India, Uruguay, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland.  Europe and Asia had some of the largest increases in tree cover, while net gains were sparser in Africa and the Americas.

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Net tree cover gain and loss between 2000 and 2020

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Limitations and Future Prospects

Estimates of global forest extent vary, partly due to a multiplicity of approaches to defining and measuring a forest. In 2020 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported 4.06 billion hectares of forest worldwide, excluding agroforestry plantations, on the basis of aggregating forest area statistics reported by national governments. The estimate is comparable to our 2020 tree cover extent estimate of 4.02 billion hectares. The FAO has reported a consistent decrease in forest extent over the past 20 years, resulting in the net loss of 99 Mha between 2000 and 2020. This estimate is also comparable to our tree cover extent estimate of 101 Mha of net loss between 2000 and 2020. The FAO similarly shows net losses in tropical forests and net gains in temperate forests.

Reporting for this indicator is incomplete because the primary forest extent data set is currently only available for the humid tropics due to methodological difficulties with mapping primary forests in other ecosystems. The most recent tree cover extent change study also covers change only for a single time period. Discerning forest types and net change from satellite imagery can be challenging, although research is ongoing to enable better mapping of these dynamics in the future.

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Dark surfaces absorb the rays from the sun (low albedo).\r\n"},"94":{"name":"biodiversity intactness","description":"The proportion and abundance of a location\u0027s original forest community (number of species and individuals) that remain.\u0026nbsp;\r\n"},"95":{"name":"biodiversity significance","description":"The importance of an area for the persistence of forest-dependent species based on range rarity.\r\n"},"142":{"name":"boundary plantings","description":"Trees planted along boundaries or property lines to mark them well.\r\n"},"98":{"name":"carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)","description":"Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is a measure used to aggregate emissions from various greenhouse gases (GHGs) on the basis of their 100-year global warming potentials by equating non-CO2 GHGs to the equivalent amount of CO2.\r\n"},"99":{"name":"CO2e","description":"Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is a measure used to aggregate emissions from various greenhouse gases (GHGs) on the basis of their 100-year global warming potentials by equating non-CO2 GHGs to the equivalent amount of CO2.\r\n"},"1":{"name":"deforestation","description":"The change from forest to another land cover or land use, such as forest to plantation or forest to urban area.\r\n"},"77":{"name":"deforested","description":"The change from forest to another land cover or land use, such as forest to plantation or forest to urban area.\r\n"},"76":{"name":"degradation","description":"The reduction in a forest\u2019s ability to perform ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and water regulation, due to natural and anthropogenic changes.\r\n"},"75":{"name":"degraded","description":"The reduction in a forest\u2019s ability to perform ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and water regulation, due to natural and anthropogenic changes.\r\n"},"79":{"name":"disturbances","description":"A discrete event that changes the structure of a forest ecosystem.\r\n"},"68":{"name":"disturbed","description":"A discrete event that changes the structure of a forest ecosystem.\r\n"},"65":{"name":"driver of tree cover loss","description":"The direct cause of forest disturbance.\r\n"},"70":{"name":"drivers of loss","description":"The direct cause of forest disturbance.\r\n"},"81":{"name":"drivers of tree cover loss","description":"The direct cause of forest disturbance.\r\n"},"102":{"name":"evapotranspiration","description":"When solar energy hitting a forest converts liquid water into water vapor (carrying energy as latent heat) through evaporation and transpiration.\r\n"},"2":{"name":"forest","description":"Forests include tree cover greater than 30 percent tree canopy density and greater than 5 meters in height as mapped at a 30-meter Landsat pixel scale.\r\n"},"3":{"name":"forest concession","description":"A legal agreement allowing an entity the right to manage a public forest for production purposes.\r\n"},"90":{"name":"forest concessions","description":"A legal agreement allowing an entity the right to manage a public forest for production purposes.\r\n"},"53":{"name":"forest degradation","description":"The reduction in a forest\u2019s ability to perform ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and water regulation, due to natural and anthropogenic changes.\r\n"},"54":{"name":"forest disturbance","description":"A discrete event that changes the structure of a forest ecosystem.\r\n"},"100":{"name":"forest disturbances","description":"A discrete event that changes the structure of a forest ecosystem.\r\n"},"5":{"name":"forest fragmentation","description":"The breaking of large, contiguous forests into smaller pieces, with other land cover types interspersed.\r\n"},"6":{"name":"forest management plan","description":"A plan that documents the stewardship and use of forests and other wooded land to meet environmental, economic, social, and cultural objectives. Such plans are typically implemented by companies in forest concessions.\r\n"},"62":{"name":"forests","description":"Forests include tree cover greater than 30 percent tree canopy density and greater than 5 meters in height as mapped at a 30-meter Landsat pixel scale.\r\n"},"69":{"name":"fragmentation","description":"The breaking of large, contiguous forests into smaller pieces, with other land cover types interspersed.\r\n"},"80":{"name":"fragmented","description":"The breaking of large, contiguous forests into smaller pieces, with other land cover types interspersed.\r\n"},"74":{"name":"gain","description":"The establishment of tree canopy in an area that previously had no tree cover. Tree cover gain may indicate a number of potential activities, including natural forest growth or the crop rotation cycle of tree plantations.\r\n"},"143":{"name":"global land squeeze","description":"Pressure on finite land resources to produce food, feed and fuel for a growing human population while also sustaining biodiversity and providing ecosystem services.\r\n"},"7":{"name":"hectare","description":"One hectare equals 100 square meters, 2.47 acres, or 0.01 square kilometers and is about the size of a rugby field. A football pitch is slightly smaller than a hectare (pitches are between 0.62 and 0.82 hectares).\r\n"},"66":{"name":"hectares","description":"One hectare equals 100 square meters, 2.47 acres, or 0.01 square kilometers and is about the size of a rugby field. A football pitch is slightly smaller than a hectare (pitches are between 0.62 and 0.82 hectares).\r\n"},"67":{"name":"intact","description":"A forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"78":{"name":"intact forest","description":"A forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"8":{"name":"intact forests","description":"A forest that contains no signs of human activity or habitat fragmentation as determined by remote sensing images and is large enough to maintain all native biological biodiversity.\r\n"},"55":{"name":"land and environmental defenders","description":"People who peacefully promote and protect rights related to land and\/or the environment.\r\n"},"9":{"name":"loss driver","description":"The direct cause of forest disturbance.\r\n"},"10":{"name":"low tree canopy density","description":"Less than 30 percent tree canopy density.\r\n"},"84":{"name":"managed forest concession","description":"Areas where governments have given rights to private companies to harvest timber and other wood products from natural forests on public lands.\r\n"},"83":{"name":"managed forest concession maps for nine countries","description":"Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Indonesia, Liberia, and the Republic of the Congo\r\n"},"104":{"name":"managed natural forests","description":"Naturally regenerated forests with signs of management, including logging, clear cuts, etc.\r\n"},"91":{"name":"megacities","description":"A city with more than 10 million people.\r\n"},"57":{"name":"megacity","description":"A city with more than 10 million people."},"56":{"name":"mosaic restoration","description":"Restoration that integrates trees into mixed-use landscapes, such as agricultural lands and settlements, where trees can support people through improved water quality, increased soil fertility, and other ecosystem services. This type of restoration is more likely in deforested or degraded forest landscapes with moderate population density (10\u2013100 people per square kilometer). "},"86":{"name":"natural","description":"A forest that is grown without human intervention.\r\n"},"12":{"name":"natural forest","description":"A forest that is grown without human intervention.\r\n"},"63":{"name":"natural forests","description":"A forest that is grown without human intervention.\r\n"},"144":{"name":"open canopy systems","description":"Individual tree crowns that do not overlap to form a continuous canopy layer.\r\n"},"82":{"name":"persistent gain","description":"Forests that have experienced one gain event from 2001 to 2016.\r\n"},"13":{"name":"persistent loss and gain","description":"Forests that have experienced one loss or one gain event from 2001 to 2016."},"97":{"name":"plantation","description":"An area in which trees have been planted, generally for commercial purposes.\u0026nbsp;\r\n"},"93":{"name":"plantations","description":"An area in which trees have been planted, generally for commercial purposes.\u0026nbsp;\r\n"},"88":{"name":"planted","description":"A forest composed of trees that have been deliberately planted and\/or seeded by humans.\r\n"},"14":{"name":"planted forest","description":"Stand of planted trees \u2014 other than tree crops \u2014 grown for wood and wood fiber production or for ecosystem protection against wind and\/or soil erosion.\r\n"},"73":{"name":"planted forests","description":"Stand of planted trees \u2014 other than tree crops \u2014 grown for wood and wood fiber production or for ecosystem protection against wind and\/or soil erosion."},"148":{"name":"planted trees","description":"Stand of trees established through planting, including both planted forest and tree crops."},"149":{"name":"Planted trees","description":"Stand of trees established through planting, including both planted forest and tree crops."},"15":{"name":"primary forest","description":"Old-growth forests that are typically high in carbon stock and rich in biodiversity. The GFR uses a humid tropical primary rainforest data set, representing forests in the humid tropics that have not been cleared in recent years.\r\n"},"64":{"name":"primary forests","description":"Old-growth forests that are typically high in carbon stock and rich in biodiversity. The GFR uses a humid tropical primary rainforest data set, representing forests in the humid tropics that have not been cleared in recent years.\r\n"},"58":{"name":"production forest","description":"A forest where the primary management objective is to produce timber, pulp, fuelwood, and\/or nonwood forest products."},"89":{"name":"production forests","description":"A forest where the primary management objective is to produce timber, pulp, fuelwood, and\/or nonwood forest products.\r\n"},"87":{"name":"seminatural","description":"A managed forest modified by humans, which can have a different species composition from surrounding natural forests.\r\n"},"59":{"name":"seminatural forests","description":"A managed forest modified by humans, which can have a different species composition from surrounding natural forests. "},"96":{"name":"shifting agriculture","description":"Temporary loss or permanent deforestation due to small- and medium-scale agriculture.\r\n"},"103":{"name":"surface roughness","description":"Surface roughness of forests creates\u0026nbsp;turbulence that slows near-surface winds and cools the land as it lifts heat from low-albedo leaves and moisture from evapotranspiration high into the atmosphere and slows otherwise-drying winds. \r\n"},"17":{"name":"tree cover","description":"All vegetation greater than five meters in height and may take the form of natural forests or plantations across a range of canopy densities. Unless otherwise specified, the GFR uses greater than 30 percent tree canopy density for calculations.\r\n"},"71":{"name":"tree cover canopy density is low","description":"Less than 30 percent tree canopy density.\r\n"},"60":{"name":"tree cover gain","description":"The establishment of tree canopy in an area that previously had no tree cover. Tree cover gain may indicate a number of potential activities, including natural forest growth or the crop rotation cycle of tree plantations.\u0026nbsp;As such, tree cover gain does not equate to restoration.\r\n"},"18":{"name":"tree cover loss","description":"The removal or mortality of tree cover, which can be due to a variety of factors, including mechanical harvesting, fire, disease, or storm damage. As such, loss does not equate to deforestation.\r\n"},"150":{"name":"tree crops","description":"Stand of perennial trees that produce agricultural products, such as rubber, oil palm, coffee, coconut, cocoa and orchards."},"19":{"name":"tree plantation","description":"An agricultural plantation of fast-growing tree species on short rotations for the production of timber, pulp, or fruit.\r\n"},"72":{"name":"tree plantations","description":"An agricultural plantation of fast-growing tree species on short rotations for the production of timber, pulp, or fruit.\r\n"},"85":{"name":"trees outside forests","description":"Trees found in urban areas, alongside roads, or within agricultural land\u0026nbsp;are often referred to as Trees Outside Forests (TOF).\u202f\r\n"},"151":{"name":"unmanaged","description":"Naturally regenerated forests without any signs of management, including primary forest."},"105":{"name":"unmanaged natural forests","description":"Naturally regenerated forests without any signs of management, including primary forest.\r\n"}}}

Citation

“Forest Extent Indicator.” Global Forest Review, updated April 4, 2024. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available online at https://research.wri.org/gfr/forest-extent-indicators/forest-extent.