Wildfires Destroy Record Forest Cover Across Multiple Continents
Wildfires destroyed twice as much forest in three years as the preceding two decades.
Event / Environment
Global Deforestation Trends 2025
Tropical primary forest loss declined 36% in 2025 to 4.3 million hectares, driven by anti-deforestation policies in Brazil and progress in other regions. However, deforestation remains 46% higher than a decade ago and significantly above 2030 targets, with wildfires now accounting for 42% of losses and posing an escalating threat.
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2026-08-18 to 2026-11-15 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 29 Apr, 11:37 UTC
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What happened
Global tree cover declined 14% in 2025
Global tree cover decreased by 14% in 2025. Agricultural expansion remained the primary driver of forest destruction, though the proportion of losses from wildfires increased significantly due to climate change, accounting for 42% of total forest losses in 2025, particularly in boreal regions.
Brazil reduces primary forest deforestation by 41% in 2025
Brazil achieved a 41% reduction in primary forest deforestation (excluding fire-related losses) in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching its lowest recorded level. This improvement resulted from policy initiatives including an anti-deforestation plan and strengthened penalties for environmental violations.
Current deforestation rates 70% above 2030 target trajectory
Global Forest Watch reports that current deforestation levels are 70% too high relative to the trajectory needed to achieve the global objective of halting deforestation by 2030, indicating significant progress is still required to meet climate targets.
France experiences 7-fold increase in forest loss from wildfires in 2025
Forest destruction from wildfires in France in 2025 was 7 times higher than in 2024, reflecting increasing fire threats linked to climate change.
Colombia reduces tropical forest destruction by 17% in 2025
Colombia reduced its tropical forest destruction by 17% in 2025, continuing efforts to lower deforestation rates through firm governance measures.
Spain and Portugal experience 60% tree loss from wildfires in 2025
In Spain and Portugal, 60% of tree cover losses in 2025 were caused by wildfires, demonstrating the significant impact of fire-driven forest destruction in the Iberian Peninsula.
Primary forest destruction remains 46% higher than decade ago
Despite the 36% decline in 2025, tropical primary forest losses remain 46% higher than levels recorded ten years ago, indicating that recent improvements have not reversed long-term deforestation trends.
Tropical primary forest loss declined 36% in 2025 to 4.3 million hectares
Tropical regions lost 4.3 million hectares of primary forest in 2025, down 36% from 2024 when 6.7 million hectares were destroyed. This represents an area equivalent to Denmark's size. The data was collected by satellite and analyzed by Global Forest Watch, an observatory operated by the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland.
Wildfires destroy 2x more forest cover in 3 years than 20 years prior
Over the past three years, wildfires have destroyed more than twice as much forest cover as occurred during the previous twenty-year period, reflecting the accelerating impact of climate change on fire frequency and severity.
Canadian wildfires destroyed 5.3 million hectares in 2025
Wildfires in Canada ravaged 5.3 million hectares of forest in 2025, making it the second-worst year on record for forest fire losses in the country.
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