Forest cover

Forest cover in general refers to the relative (in percent) or absolute (in square kilometers/square miles) land area that is covered by forests or the forest canopy or open woodland.

Forest cover is one category of terrestrial land cover. Land cover is the observed physical features, both natural and manmade, that occupy the earth’s immediate surface ... forest cover is defined as 25% or greater canopy closure at the Landsat pixel scale (30-m × 30-m spatial resolution) for trees >5 m in height

— Hansen et al., 2010[1]

Global forest cover, however crucial for soil health, the water cycle, climate and air quality it is, is severely threatened by deforestation everywhere, as a direct consequence of agriculture, logging, and mining all of which can be attributed to human overpopulation.[2][3] Forest cover can be increased by reforestation and afforestation efforts, but loss of old-growth forests is irreversibel in terms of its ecological services.

Global forest cover has been estimated to be 30% or 40 million square kilometres (4.3×1014 sq ft) in 2006[4] with 12-yearly losses (2000-2012) amounting to 2.3 million square kilometres (2.5×1013 sq ft) and reforestation gains about 0.8 million square kilometres (8.6×1012 sq ft).[5]


In particular, forest cover may refer to

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hansen, M. C.; Stehman, S. V.; Potapov, P. V. (2010-04-26). "Quantification of global gross forest cover loss". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 107 (19): 8650–8655. doi:10.1073/pnas.0912668107. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 2889354.
  2. ↑ "Google Crisis Map". Google Crisis Map. 2011-04-27. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  3. ↑ "Global Tree Cover Loss Rose 51 Percent in 2016". World Resources Institute. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  4. ↑ "Forest definition and extent" (PDF). United Nations Environment Programme. 2010-01-27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2014-11-16.
  5. ↑ Hansen, M. C.; Potapov, P. V.; Moore, R.; Hancher, M.; Turubanova, S. A.; Tyukavina, A.; Thau, D.; Stehman, S. V.; Goetz, S. J.; Loveland, T. R.; Kommareddy, A.; Egorov, A.; Chini, L.; Justice, C. O.; Townshend, J. R. G. (2013-11-15). "High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change". Science. 342 (6160): 850–853. doi:10.1126/science.1244693. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 24233722. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  • "Interactive Map". Global Forest Watch. 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
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