Global Forest Area in Square Kilometers

Forest area data measures land under natural or planted tree stands of at least 5 meters, excluding agricultural and urban trees. The World Development Indicators from the World Bank compile this metric. It serves as a key indicator for tracking land use change and environmental sustainability over time.

Use Cases

• Modeling deforestation trends over time using the annual forest area metric.
• Analyzing correlations between forest area changes and other development indicators.
• Forecasting future forest cover based on historical time-series data.

Strengths

• Data is defined by a clear, standardized metric (land under tree stands >=5 meters).
• Compiled by the authoritative World Development Indicators.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, time ranges, and geographic coverage are unknown.
• Excludes tree stands in agricultural systems and urban parks, limiting scope.

Provenance

Source

World Development Indicators, World Bank

Geography

Global