National Geographic - UK (2022-05)

EQUATOR

TROPIC OF (^) CAPRICORN
ARCTIC CIRCLE
EUROPE

AFRICA

ASIA

AUSTRALIA

Tree canopy height

Shortest Tallest

Today, forests (shaded green on this

map) cover one-third of Earth’s land

surface, more than 15.6 million square

miles. Each year, forests and other

vegetation absorb up to a third of the

CO 2 released from burning fossil fuels.

MARTIN GAMACHE AND MATTHEW W. CHWASTYK, NGM STAFF. SOURCES: FOREST LANDSCAPE INTEGRITY INDEX; GLOBAL LAND ANALYSIS AND DISCOVERY, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Measuring trees via satellite

helps scientists map how

forests are changing.