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Up to 15 billion trees are cut every year, finds study

When it comes to the world’s forests, two of the commonly asked questions are “How many trees are are on Earth?” and “How many trees are cut down each year?” A new study proposes answers: three trillion and 15.3 billion.

The research, published today in the journal Nature, is based on a combination of satellite imagery, on-the-ground inventories, and computer modeling led by Thomas Crowther of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. Crowther conducted the research while at Yale University.

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By Rhett Ayers Butler

Rhett Ayers Butler is the Founder and CEO of Mongabay, a non-profit conservation and environmental science news platform. He started Mongabay in 1999 with the mission of raising interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife.