TREE FACTS – Trees in the World

TREE FACTS – Trees in the World

Did you know?

Believe it or not, there are an estimated 3.04 trillion trees worldwide – that’s a staggering number!

To provide context, 71% of the world’s total surface is cover by water.  Roughly 19% of the Earth’s surface consists of barren land, while 10% is covered by glaciers, including areas such as sand dunes, deserts, exposed rocks, and dry salt flats. Forests, on the other hand, occupy approximately 38% of the world’s total habitable land surface.

Russia is the country with the most trees overall.  With its vast size, it’s no surprise that Russia boasts over 642 billion trees. It’s estimated that roughly 45% of the country’s landmass is covered by forest.

As every country is a different size it makes more sense to look at some examples of tree density and how it varies by country:

Tree density varies significantly across different countries, reflecting factors such as land size and environmental conditions.

For instance:

• Russia boasts approximately 38,000 trees per square kilometre.
• In Sweden, the density is higher, with around 70,000 trees per square kilometre.
• The UK has a moderate density of approximately 12,000 trees per square kilometre.

In contrast, some regions have notably lower tree densities:

• Libya has a sparse density of only 17 trees per square kilometre.
• Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have extremely low densities, with just 1 tree per square kilometre.
• Greenland’s tree density is modest at 131 trees per square kilometre.
• Australia, known for its vast arid landscapes, has around 9,900 trees per square kilometre.

This highlights the diverse range of tree densities across the globe, determined by varying geographical and climatic conditions.

Sources:

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-trees-per-km

https://8billiontrees.com/trees/what-country-has-the-most-trees/

https://www.treehugger.com/which-countries-have-most-trees-4864098

Survey conducted by the World Bank