Deforestation · 10 km around the city · 2001–2025
Deforestation around Bern
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bern has lost about 1,000 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 33 hectares (3.2%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 9,520 hawithin 10 km of the centre
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,000 ha11% of it, about 1,400 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 33 hadeforestation, 3.2% of the loss
- Worst year
- 202095 ha lost
Satellite timelapse
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km north-east of the city centre.
Satellite photos of the same 5 × 5 km area, one per year, all taken in the same season so the colours compare. You can see forest being cleared and towns spreading, though not single trees. Download the before/after image (free to reuse with credit to Airleaf).
Year by year
Forest lost around Bern, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 50 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 62 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2020, when about 95 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | 34 ha | 34 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | 21 ha | 23 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 27 ha | 30 ha |
| 2005 | 2 ha | 51 ha | 52 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | 26 ha | 28 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | 26 ha | 28 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 30 ha | 30 ha |
| 2009 | 4 ha | 40 ha | 44 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 27 ha | 27 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | 42 ha | 44 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | 60 ha | 62 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 17 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 14 ha | 14 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 28 ha | 28 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 49 ha | 49 ha |
| 2018 | 1 ha | 47 ha | 48 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | 85 ha | 88 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 95 ha | 95 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 63 ha | 63 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 36 ha | 36 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 36 ha | 36 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 58 ha | 58 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | 49 ha | 53 ha |
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 12,100 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 12,100 ha
- Overall change
- −17 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bern stayed about the same size, at about 12,100 hectares: new forest grew on about 179 hectares, and about 196 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation around Bern?
- 3.2%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 95%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 1.8%cause unknown
- Logging95% · 950 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads3.2% · 33 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
- Unknown causes1.8% · 18 ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Nearby cities losing forest
| City | Forest lost (10 km) | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxembourg, Luxembourg | 658 ha | 5.4% | 118 ha |
| Munich, Germany | 488 ha | 7.5% | 19 ha |
Use this data
Put Bern's forest loss on your site
Free to embed, with a link back to the full figures.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation around Bern
How much forest has Bern lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bern has lost about 1,000 hectares of forest (about 1,400 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 33 hectares (3.2%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation around Bern getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 50 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 62 hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation around Bern?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (95%), towns and roads (3.2%). About 33 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss around Bern?
The worst year was 2020, when about 95 hectares of forest were lost.
Is the forest around Bern growing or shrinking?
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bern stayed about the same size, at about 12,100 hectares: new forest grew on about 179 hectares, and about 196 hectares were lost. These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
Can I see satellite images of Bern over the years?
Yes. The timelapse at the top of this page has a satellite photo for every year from 2017 to 2026 of a 5 × 5 km area near Bern, where the most forest was lost. Press play to watch it change, or turn on "Show cleared forest" to see exactly where trees were lost.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches within 10 km of the centre of Bern, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.