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Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from Forests
This indicator aims to monitor the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) released into and absorbed from the atmosphere by forests. As forests grow, they reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere by absorbing CO2 through photosynthesis and storing the carbon in vegetation and soil. When trees are cut, cleared, or burned and forest soils are tilled or drained for agriculture, CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) are released into the atmosphere. The difference between GHG released (gross emissions) and CO2 absorbed (gross removals) is the net flux. The net flux can therefore be positive (net source) or negative (net sink), depending on the balance of gross fluxes.
Statistics for this indicator are derived from a model that combined ground measurements and satellite observations with national GHG inventory methods from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Gross removals (reported by convention as negative values) and gross emissions (reported as positive values) were estimated separately, and the net flux was calculated by subtracting gross emissions from gross removals. Emissions are estimated annually, while removals and net flux are averaged over 20 years. The results, generated at 30-meter resolution, allow GHG fluxes to be calculated in forest areas over a range of sizes.
Statistic | Data Set | Method |
Between 2001 and 2023, emissions from deforestation and other forest disturbances were 9 gigatonnes (Gt) CO2e per year on average, while removals by forests were -14.5 Gt CO2e per year on average. This resulted in an average net sink of -5.5 Gt CO2e per year. | Gross emissions, gross removals, and net forest GHG flux | Gross emissions, gross removals, and net forest GHG flux calculation |
Tropical forests had both the highest average annual gross emissions and gross removals of all climate domains, with average emissions of 5.7 Gt CO2e per year and average removals of -7.1 Gt CO2e per year. | Gross emissions, gross removals, and net forest GHG flux; ecozones | Gross emissions, gross removals, and net forest GHG flux calculation in ecozones |
As a result, tropical forests made up only 25 percent of the global net forest sink while temperate forests made up 40 percent of the global net forest sink, with an average annual net sink of -2.2 Gt CO2e per year. | Net forest GHG flux; ecozones | Net forest GHG flux calculation in ecozones |
In addition to having the largest total net sink, temperate forests also had the largest net sink per hectare, with an average net sink of -3.8 tonnes CO2e per hectare per year. Tropical forests had the smallest net sink per hectare, with an average net sink of -0.7 tonnes CO2e per hectare per year. | Net forest GHG flux; ecozones | Net forest GHG flux calculation in ecozones divided by tree cover extent in 2000. |
For Bolivia, Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia, the majority of forest-related GHG emissions were associated with the clearing of forests for commodity production, reflecting a permanent loss of tree cover. | Gross emissions; countries; tree cover loss by dominant driver | Gross emissions calculation in countries and tree cover loss by dominant driver categories |
Meanwhile, the majority of forest-related emissions in China and the United States were associated with forestry operations within these countries, likely reflecting temporary losses of tree cover due to harvesting cycles. | Gross emissions; countries; tree cover loss by dominant driver | Gross emissions calculation in countries and tree cover loss by dominant driver categories |
While a substantial proportion of Canada and Russia's forest-related emissions were also associated with forestry, the majority were due to wildfire. | Gross emissions; countries; tree cover loss by dominant driver | Gross emissions calculation in countries and tree cover loss by dominant driver categories |
In Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most forest-related emissions were associated with shifting agriculture ... | Gross emissions; countries; tree cover loss by dominant driver | Gross emissions calculation in countries and tree cover loss by dominant driver categories |
Brazil had the highest annual forest-related GHG emissions, releasing an average of 1.6 Gt CO2e per year, followed by Indonesia (0.96 Gt CO2e per year) and Canada (0.96 Gt CO2e per year). | Gross emissions; countries | Gross emissions calculation in countries |
Russia had the highest annual forest-related CO2 removals, averaging -2 Gt CO2e per year, followed by Brazil (-1.8 Gt CO2e per year) and the United States (-1.4 Gt CO2e per year). | Gross removals; countries | Gross removals calculation in countries |
Over 95 percent of the removals were from existing forests undisturbed since the year 2000, with the remainder from new forest growth since 2000. | Gross removals; tree cover loss; tree cover gain; forest extent | Gross removals calculation in pixels with no tree cover gain or loss over model period |
... among countries whose forests were a net source, Indonesia had the highest net emissions from forests (0.35 Gt CO2e per year), followed by Malaysia (0.13 Gt CO2e per year) and Laos (0.06 Gt CO2e per year). | Net forest GHG flux; countries | Net forest GHG flux calculation in countries |
Among countries whose forests were a net sink, Russia had the highest net removals from forests (-1.4 Gt CO2e per year), followed by the United States (-0.63 Gt CO2e per year) and China (-0.49 Gt CO2e year). | Net forest GHG flux; countries | Net forest GHG flux calculation in countries |
Globally, gross annual GHG emissions where the dominant driver of tree cover loss was commodity-driven deforestation averaged 2.5 Gt CO2e per year (approximately 28 percent of global forest-related gross GHG emissions), while emissions from urbanization were negligible globally but significant in some regions, such as the southeastern United States. | Gross emissions; tree cover loss by dominant driver | Gross emissions calculation in tree cover loss by dominant driver categories |
Brazil and Indonesia accounted for 74 percent of gross annual GHG emissions from commodity-driven deforestation, followed by Malaysia (7 percent), Bolivia (4 percent) and Paraguay (2 percent). | Gross emissions; tree cover loss by dominant driver; countries | Gross emissions calculation in commodity-driven deforestation category and countries |
Landscapes dominated by forestry removed more carbon due to forest management and regrowth than they emitted due to harvesting, providing an average annual net sink of -2.6 Gt CO2e per year (gross emissions of 2.7 Gt CO2e per year and gross removals of -5.4 Gt CO2e per year). | Gross emissions, gross removals, and net forest GHG flux; tree cover loss by dominant driver | Gross emissions, gross removals, and net forest GHG flux calculation in tree cover loss by dominant driver categories |
Similarly, forests in shifting agriculture landscapes removed more carbon than they emitted, providing an average annual net sink of -1.1 Gt CO2e per year (gross emissions of 2.5 Gt CO2e per year and gross removals of -3.6 Gt CO2e per year) | Gross emissions, gross removals, and net forest GHG flux; tree cover loss by dominant driver | Gross emissions, gross removals, and net forest GHG flux calculation in tree cover loss by dominant driver categories |
Globally, wildfires emitted an average of 1.7 Gt CO2e per year between 2001 and 2023. Of this, CO2 accounted for approximately 88 percent of emissions, while CH4 and N2O accounted for approximately 12 percent. | Gross emissions; MODIS burned area | Gross emissions calculation in MODIS burned area |
The impact of these fires on GHG emissions is evident: forest-related GHG emissions associated with wildfire in Australia increased nearly twentyfold in 2019-2020 compared to the annual average from 2001-2018, increasing from an average of 0.02 Gt CO2e per year to an average of 0.33 Gt CO2e per year | Gross emissions; tree cover loss due to fires; countries | Gross emissions calculation in tree cover loss due to fires within Australia |
Forests in protected areas had an average annual net sink of -1.7 Gt CO2e per year, accounting for approximately 31 percent of the average annual global net sink from forests. | Net forest GHG flux; protected areas | Net forest GHG flux calculation in protected areas |
Forests in Indigenous and community lands for which spatial data is available had an average annual net sink of -0.52 Gt CO2e per year, accounting for 10 percent of the average annual global net sink from forests. | Net forest GHG flux; LandMark | Net forest GHG flux calculation in LandMark |
Combined, protected areas and Indigenous lands had an average annual net sink of -1.9 Gt CO2e per year — equivalent to the forest net sink of China and Russia — accounting for 36 percent of the average annual global net sink from forests. | Net forest GHG flux; protected areas; LandMark; countries | Net forest GHG flux calculation in protected areas; net forest GHG flux calculation in LandMark; net forest GHG flux calculation in countries |
{"Glossary":{"51":{"name":"agricultural tree crops","description":"Trees cultivated for their food, cultural, or economic values. These include oil palm, rubber, cocoa, cashew, mango, oranges (citrus), plantain, banana, and coconut.\r\n"},"141":{"name":"agroforestry","description":"A diversified set of agricultural or agropastoral production systems that integrate trees in the agricultural landscape.\r\n"},"101":{"name":"albedo","description":"The ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight.\u0026nbsp;Light-colored surfaces return a large part of the sunrays back to the atmosphere (high albedo). 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"}}}