Facts.html

Billions of acres of forest and woodland that have been lost since agriculture began about 10,000 years ago: 2.5

Billion of acres of forest that exist on Earth today: 10

Millions of acres of tropical forests that exist in Latin America: 57

Percentage of original moist forests remaining in tropical Africa: 40

Percentage of original moist forests remaining in Asia: 37

Portion of U.S. forests cleared between 1630 and 1920: one-third

Percentage of original U.S. forest area that is tree-covered today, mostly with second-growth forest: 70

Number of minutes it takes a logger with a chain saw to cut down a 33-foot wide, 1,000-year-old tree: 10

Number of acres of tropical forest that are destroyed each day: 140,000

Number of years it will take for all tropical rain forests to be completely cleared if present deforestation rates continue:177

Percentage of the world's tropical forests that are part of parks and reserves: Less than 5

Ratio of tropical land deforested to tropical land reforested between 1981 and 1985: 10:1

Number of square mile of Central European forest already destroyed or severely damaged, primarily dir to air pollution: 23,000

Miller and Tangley, xv-xxi

Stephanie Heller
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