Satellite Data Study Shows Earth Has More Trees Than It Did 30 Years Ago

 

There is no doubt that the world is facing serious environmental  problems, from trash and chemicals in the ocean to toxic fumes in the  air. 

However, a new study  led by Xiao-Peng Song and Matthew Hansen of the University of Maryland  gives us some good environmental news for a change, there are more trees  on the planet than they were 30 years ago. The researchers used data taken by satellites from 1982 to 2016 and  found that despite ongoing deforestation and forest fires, the world’s  tree cover actually increased by 2.24 million square kilometers, which  is an area the size of Texas and Alaska combined. 

Unfortunately, some  bad news was revealed in the report as well, although the overall amount  of trees increased, researchers also noticed an extreme die-off of the  earth’s most diverse ecosystems and tropical forests. 

“The results of this study reflect a human-dominated Earth  system. Direct human action on landscapes is found over large areas on  every continent, from intensification and extensification of agriculture  to increases in forestry and urban land uses, with implications for the  maintenance of ecosystem services,” the researchers wrote. 

“A global net gain in tree canopy contradicts current  understanding of long-term forest area change; the Food and Agriculture  Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported a net forest loss  between 1990 and 2015. However, our gross tree canopy loss estimate  (−1.33 million square kilometers, −4.2%) agrees in magnitude with the  FAO’s estimate of net forest area change (−1.29 million square  kilometers, −3%), despite differences in the time period covered and  definition of forest,” the study said.    

The researchers also warned that: 

“Expansion of the agricultural frontier is the primary driver of  deforestation in the tropics. The ‘arc of deforestation’ along the  southeastern edge of the Amazon has been well-documented. Clearing of  natural vegetation for export-oriented industrial agriculture also  prevailed in the Cerrado and the Gran Chaco. Spatially clustered  hotspots of deforestation are also found in Queensland, Australia, and  in Southeast Asia—including Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and  Indonesia—diminishing the already scarce primary forests of the region.  In sub-Saharan Africa, tree cover loss was pervasive across the  Congolian rainforests and the Miombo woodlands, historically related to  smallholder agriculture and increasingly to commodity crop cultivation.  Forests in boreal Canada, eastern Alaska and central Siberia  exhibited large patches of tree canopy loss and short vegetation gain,  similar to the tropics. However, these are the result of persistent  disturbances from wildfires and subsequent recovery of natural  vegetation.” 

This study shows that humans can make a huge impact on the  environment with just a small amount of effort, but there is still much  work to be done. Below are some charts provided by Mongabay, showing the findings of the study: