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The Daily Insight

How many forests are there

Author

Rachel Hickman

Published Apr 11, 2026

The world has 4.06 billion remaining hectares of forests, according to the recently released key findings of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020. Of this area, only about 1.11 billion hectares are primary forests, or native forests that remain largely undisturbed by humans.

What is New Zealand's largest forest?

Kaingaroa Forest covers 2900 km² of the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand, and is the largest forest plantation in New Zealand, and the second largest in the Southern Hemisphere (after the 6000km² Sabie/Graskop plantation in South Africa). The forest stretches from Lake Taupō in the south to Kawerau to the north.

What are New Zealand forests called?

The two most common forest types are conifer-broadleaved forest and beech (Nothofagus) forest. Conifer-broadleaved forest in temperate, lowland areas, are the tallest and most complex of New Zealand’s forests.

What percentage of NZ is native forest?

Before people arrived in New Zealand, 80% of the land was covered in dense forest. Now only 24% of land is native forest, or just under 6.5 million hectares. Two of the main types of native forest in New Zealand are beech and podocarp-hardwood.

How many forests are in Canada?

With over 347 million hectares (ha) of forest, Canada has 9% of the world’s forests. Forests dominate many Canadian landscapes, but cover only 38% of Canada’s land area.

Why does New Zealand have deforestation?

Deforestation results in loss of habitat, extinction of wildlife and loss of biodiversity. Early European settlers used timber for housing and fuel. They also felled large areas of kauri forest to export the high quality timber. … Only 25% of New Zealand is now covered in native forest.

Which country has the largest forest?

Total forest area by country Russia is home to the largest area of forest – 815 million hectares. Brazil, the United States, Canada, China, Australia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo also have a largest forest area – more than 100 million hectares each.

Is there jungle in New Zealand?

rainforests fall into the temperate classification with broad-leaved trees. The South Island’s west coast is the wettest area of NZ. In the northern part of the country we find sub-tropical rainforests.

Is there rainforest in New Zealand?

Temperate rainforests occur throughout New Zealand today; they are dominated in northern New Zealand by Agathis and a range of emergent podocarps, and many broadleaved taxa such as Beilschmiedia and Dysoxylum (Wardle 1991. 1991. Vegetation of New Zealand.

How many forests burned Maori?

Sediment records show a huge increase in charcoal and bracken spores around the 13th and 14th centuries. At the same time, there was a massive decline in pollen from forest trees, marking a striking and devastating change: up to 40% of the forest was burnt within 200 years of Māori settling in New Zealand.

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Who owns the forests in NZ?

The Crown owns most native forests. Through the Department of Conservation, it manages about 5.2 million hectares of New Zealand’s tall indigenous forests for the conservation of biodiversity, heritage, and recreation.

How many trees are cut down a year NZ?

Tree cover threshold (%)Total area (ha)Avg tree cover loss/year (ha)202676447864524252676447864460302676447864356502676447863755

Why is NZ short of timber?

A building industry leader says the shortage of structural timber in New Zealand is now the worst in living memory – and it could still get worse. Imports have slowed due to disruptions in the supply chain from Covid-related shipping delays.

How many native trees are there in New Zealand?

The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network has published a list of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants including all 574 native trees and shrubs.

Is Kauri a hardwood?

“Softwoods” are sometimes called needle-leaved trees, conifers or gymnosperms. These include cypress, macrocarpa, redwood, cedar, totara, rimu and kauri.

How many trees are in USA?

The United States comes in fourth with 228 billion trees.

How many trees are in China?

How Much of China Is Trees? China has 140 Billion trees which cover approximately 23% of the country’s land.

How much of Brazil is forest?

According to the U.N. FAO, 62.4% or about 519,522,000 ha of Brazil is forested, according to FAO. Of this 91.7% ( 476,573,000 ) is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse and carbon-dense form of forest. Brazil had 7,418,000 ha of planted forest.

Which country has no trees?

However, they are some of the most crowded places on Earth because of their high population against small land areas. Monaco, the most densely populated country (21,158 people per square kilometers), has 0% forest cover. Nauru also has no forest cover at all. However, Kiribati and Maldives have 2% and 3% forest cover.

Where is Suriname forest?

Suriname’s forests are located within the broader Guianan Moist Forests area, one of the largest continuous tracts of relatively pristine lowland tropical rainforest in the world. Suriname’s population of 568,000 mainly lives on the coast, so as a result the country historically had a low rate of deforestation.

Which country has no forest?

And the least tree-filled countries? There are five places with no forest whatsoever, according to World Bank’s definition* – Nauru, San Marino, Qatar, Greenland and Gibraltar – while in a further 12 places there is less than one per cent.

Is deforestation legal in New Zealand?

Deforestation in New Zealand has been a contentious environmental issue in the past, but native forests (colloquially called “the bush”) now have legal protection, and are not allowed to be tampered with by humans.

How did Maoris cut trees?

On the other hand, ancient Maori history does teach us that trees were felled by means of being chipped out sideways—that is, with and not across the grain—and that the tree-fellers—there were always three or more—followed each other around and around the tree in the process of felling.

Did Maori clear land?

They also cleared the land for farming, by logging trees and setting fire to the understorey. They sowed English grasses on the forest ash deposits, which provided an initial source of nutrients. North Island farmers used fire to turn the forest and fernlands into grazing land for sheep and cattle.

Is New Zealand tropical?

New Zealand’s climate is complex and varies from warm subtropical in the far north to cool temperate climates in the far south, with severe alpine conditions in the mountainous areas. … Most areas of New Zealand have between 600 and 1600 mm of rainfall, spread throughout the year with a dry period during the summer.

Is NZ considered tropical?

While New Zealand is regularly referred to as a sub-tropical destination, only a small part of the country can realistically claim that. Average temperatures around the country in the past 12 months failed to exceed 19 degrees Celsius, according to NIWA data.

Does Australia have rainforests?

Australia is certainly known for its picturesque beaches but it’s also home to some of the most magnificent rainforests in the world. The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia contain the largest areas of subtropical rainforest in the world as well as large areas of warm and cool temperate rainforest types.

What is New Zealand's oldest national park?

Tongariro is New Zealand’s oldest national park and a dual World Heritage area. This status recognises the park’s important Māori cultural and spiritual associations as well as its outstanding volcanic features.

How many national parks are in New Zealand?

New Zealand has 13 national parks. They protect some of the country’s most scenic landscapes: Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park – the highest mountain, Aoraki/Mt Cook. Westland Tai Poutini National Park – Fox and Franz Josef glaciers.

What animals are in the New Zealand rainforest?

  • The kiwi bird. No New Zealand native animal list would ever be complete without mentioning the country’s most famous bird. …
  • New Zealand sea lion. …
  • Yellow-eyed penguins. …
  • Little blue penguins. …
  • Kereru. …
  • Weta. …
  • Tuatara. …
  • Maui dolphin.

How much forest has New Zealand lost?

New Zealand Deforestation Rates & Statistics | GFW. In 2010, New Zealand had 9.65Mha of natural forest, extending over 43% of its land area. In 2020, it lost 8.53kha of natural forest.