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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Are scientists sure about how many trees grow on Earth?

By Mia Dillon
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NO

Researchers using new satellite-imaging techniques to count trees in west Africa suggest there may be more trees growing on the planet than have previously been estimated.

The study, published in October 2020, suggests there could be further increases to a 2015 global estimate of 3 trillion trees, which marked a sevenfold jump from the previous estimate of 400 billion. That study focused on data from forests. It estimated that 15 billion trees are cut down each year while 5 billion trees are planted or sprouted, calculating that the global tree count has fallen by “approximately 46% since the start of human civilization.”

The new study notes that trees outside forests “are not well-documented.” New mapping technology counted “quite a few hundred million” trees where few were expected, an author told the Guardian. Earlier estimates have been “extremely far away from the real numbers.”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Nature An unexpectedly large count of trees in the West African Sahara and Sahel
Guardian How AI helped find millions of trees in the Sahara
Nature Satellites could soon map every tree on Earth
Nature: Global count reaches 3 trillion trees
Science Earth home to 3 trillion trees, half as many as when human civilization arose
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.