Global extent and drivers of tree cover loss quantified with high-resolution satellite data

Quantifying the drivers of tree cover loss globally provides a synoptic understanding of pressures on the world’s forests. Existing information about tree cover loss drivers relies on maps of coarse spatial and thematic resolution. In this study, we quantified the global extent of tree cover loss in 2018 at the scale of individual disturbances and provided a comprehensive accounting of land use outcomes using a global probability sample of 600 5 × 5–kilometer blocks mapped with high-resolution (3- to 10-meter) satellite data. Out of 277 thousand square kilometers of estimated global tree cover loss, nearly a third (29.0%) was due to long-term conversion of tree cover to other land uses, including conversion of natural tree cover to pasture (15.0%), cropland (6.4%), and nontimber tree plantations (3.8%).