Which countries have the most trees?

By looking at ‘tree wealth’ around the world, researchers point to trees’ greater value.

By: Mary Jo DiLonardo

Sunbeams pour through the trees in a Russian forest. (Photo: Grisha Bruev/Shutterstock)

There are more than 3 trillion trees in the world, according to a fascinating study recently released in the journal Nature. The good news: That’s more than seven times earlier estimates of 400 billion trees. The bad news: Humans have cut those numbers by 47 percent since the start of civilization.

But how do you count that many trees? And where are they?

Scientists calculated what’s called “tree wealth” or “tree resources” based on estimates of the number of trees in every country in the world in relation to various factors including the country’s physical size and population.

The world’s overall tree leader is Russia, with 642 billion trees, reports The Washington Post, which analyzed the data presented by researchers. Next is Canada with 318 billion trees and Brazil with 302 billion. The United States comes in fourth with 228 billion trees.

Other countries with significant tree wealth include China (140 billion), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (100 billion), Indonesia (81 billion) and Australia (77 billion).

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