Study on tree cover questioned

experts have challenged the findings of a controversial new study that says the global tree cover has increased by 7.1% between 1982 and 2016.

The study recently published in the journal Nature shows that in this period, the tree cover or tall vegetation over the height of 5m increased by 2.24 million sq km.

The findings by researchers from University of Maryland, who studied optical observations from multiple satellite sensors, contradict almost every report on the state of global forests.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations puts the net loss in forest cover between 2000 and 2010 at 0.61 mn sq km.

In 2016 alone, there was a loss of 0.29 mn sq km, according to the Global Forest Watch.

“All global data sets show that there has been a decline in the forest cover. But, the numbers completely depend on the definition of forest; what do the researchers consider to be forest? When data is analysed at a global level there is always some sort of generalisation,” said Sudipta Chatterjee, head of natural resources department at TERI School of Advanced Studies.

“What we really need is regional data on dense canopy cover, which most influences climate change,” he said.

THE NET GAIN IN TREE COVER IS BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE IN THE TREE COVER IN THE SUBTROPICAL, TEMPERATE AND SUBARCTIC CLIMATE ZONES.