Tree cover loss in United States
United States: Tree cover loss was 1.59 million hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.59 million hectares
Change on year
up 15.4%
World rank
5th
of 197 countries
All-time high
2.74 million hectares
in 2004
All-time low
1.38 million hectares
in 2023
Years of data
24
2001–2024
Tree cover loss in United States, 2001–2024
Source: Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
United States recorded 1.59 million hectares for tree cover loss in 2024.
That represents a change of up 15.4% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tree cover loss in United States peaked at 2.74 million hectares in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1.38 million hectares, in 2023.
That places United States 5th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Tree cover loss in United States, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.93 million hectares | — |
| 2002 | 2.03 million hectares | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 1.64 million hectares | -19.0% |
| 2004 | 2.74 million hectares | +66.3% |
| 2005 | 2.68 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 2.60 million hectares | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 2.43 million hectares | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 2.21 million hectares | -9.1% |
| 2009 | 1.60 million hectares | -27.3% |
| 2010 | 2.16 million hectares | +34.8% |
| 2011 | 1.66 million hectares | -23.3% |
| 2012 | 1.95 million hectares | +17.8% |
| 2013 | 1.72 million hectares | -11.7% |
| 2014 | 1.73 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.29 million hectares | +32.4% |
| 2016 | 2.26 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 2.31 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 2.09 million hectares | -9.4% |
| 2019 | 2.11 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 1.96 million hectares | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 2.04 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 2.20 million hectares | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 1.38 million hectares | -37.2% |
| 2024 | 1.59 million hectares | +15.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1.59 million hectares is above the median for high income countries, which is 7,323 hectares, 217.8× the median. (65 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.21 million hectares | 1.60 million hectares | 2.74 million hectares | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.03 million hectares | 1.66 million hectares | 2.31 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.84 million hectares | 1.38 million hectares | 2.20 million hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tree cover loss in United States?
- Tree cover loss in United States was 1.59 million hectares in 2024, according to Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tree cover loss recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2.74 million hectares in 2004.
- What is the lowest tree cover loss recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.38 million hectares in 2023.
- How does United States rank for tree cover loss?
- United States ranks 5th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tree cover loss rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Global Forest Watch (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Tree cover loss. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Tree cover loss driven by all causes.