A recent wildfire incident in Arizona, USA, underscores the ongoing challenges faced by the United States in managing its tree cover. Over the past two decades, the U.S. has experienced a significant shift in its forest landscape. Despite a vast tree cover extent of approximately 279 million hectares, the country has seen a net loss of over 3.40 million hectares, marking a decrease of around 1.23% in tree cover stability.
Forestry activities have been the primary driver of tree cover loss, followed by wildfires and urbanization. The impact of wildfires has been particularly notable, with millions of hectares affected over the years. In 2022 alone, wildfires accounted for a substantial portion of the total tree cover loss, emphasizing the severity of these incidents on the environment.
Explore country profileThe latest data from 2024 indicates that these incidents continue to pose a threat to the U.S. forests, with Arizona being the most recent region to report a fire alert. The cumulative effects of these challenges highlight the need for ongoing attention to forest management and conservation efforts to mitigate the loss of tree cover and its associated impacts on the ecosystem.
