A recent study gives the most accurate answer to this question until this date. With the collective effort of everybody, it was determined that there are a staggering 3.04 trillion trees on our planet. Scientists speculate this number to be half of what was there before humans started annihilating forests for their benefits on a large scale. This is said to be an astronomical figure, and if trees cut down at this rate, a dystopian era might not be that far away.
But still, this number is a reason to celebrate and feel happy because the number that was previously estimated is about 7.5 times smaller than this. This huge underestimation is said to be the result of an inaccurate study conducted through satellite imagery. Although the satellites are accurate in informing which part of the planet is covered with greenery, they cannot pinpoint trees.
The new study has made use of satellite imagery along with another half million ground-based measurements, which were done by actual people. Yes, they did count the trees; to be exact, they determined the tree density in a given area. This data mainly came from the archives of ground-based data from the national forests of various countries. The data acquired was made use of by running them through different computer models, which were fundamentally based on the satellite and climate info they had previously got hold of.
A relevant question at this stage would be asking as to where the tree density is the highest? Which parts of the world are blessed with the highest tree population and which parts of our planet suffer the most from urban development due to the felling of trees on a large scale without mercy? The answer to this intriguing question has been found from the very same study. It has been determined that the majority of the trees on our planet are located in tropical and subtropical forests throughout the world. These forests account for almost 45% of the trees present on our planet. The next most blessed parts of the world are the boreal and tundra zones of Canada, Russia, and northern China, which account for almost 25% of the total number of trees. The rest of the regions that include trees are the temperate areas around the world.
Trees are the main life form that our planet needs to sustain itself and other species present in it. They serve as ecosystems for a variety of species of animals and, above all, convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into oxygen. We are already experiencing the effects of Global warming and the formation of ozone holes in the atmosphere, although the massive number of trees that we believe are adequate. It is still not too late, and there is time for us to take action, so we better take advantage of this opportunity in its lifetime.
The main motive behind this study was to determine the effects of human beings on the tree population, and the result was found to be devastating. At present, each person on this planet has about 400 trees, and every year this number is decreasing by 1.4. Based on this, you decide whether the number 3.04 trillion is enough for our 7 billion and growing population of human beings along with other species of animals.
