A new global land change analysis has concluded that trees now cover 7% more of the earth’s surface – roughly 2.24 million square kilometers – than they did in 1982. The study, conducted by the University of Maryland, says this increase is due to net gain of trees in the extratropics compared in relation to tree loss in the tropics.
While this is positive news, researchers say the news should be met with caution. The study attributes 60% of vegetation changes on Earth’s surface to human activities, such as agricultural expansion in the tropics, and reports that Earth’s total natural vegetation saw a 3% loss. Furthermore, new growth in the extratropics is in part due to climate change’s effects on landscapes which were previously too cold to support such tree species.
Click on the link below to learn more about the study and Earth’s changing vegetation distribution.
