The United States has faced a significant tree cover loss over the past two decades, with the latest incident being a fire alert in California on August 31, 2024. This incident adds to the historical data indicating a substantial decline in tree cover across the country. As of the last recorded data, the United States had an area of approximately 947 million hectares, with tree cover extending over 279 million hectares.
Analyzing the data from 2001 to 2022, the total tree cover loss amounted to over 22 million hectares, which is nearly 8% of the total tree cover extent. The primary drivers of this loss have been forestry activities, contributing to around 63% of the total loss, followed by wildfires at approximately 23%, urbanization at 12%, and shifting agriculture at a minor 2%.
Explore country profileThe net change in tree cover reveals a disturbing trend with a loss of over 17 million hectares and a gain of nearly 14 million hectares, resulting in a net loss of around 3.50 million hectares. This equates to a net percentage change of -1.23% in tree cover. The data underscores the ongoing challenge of balancing environmental stewardship with economic and urban development.
