Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Austria
Since 2001, Austria has lost about 464,000 hectares of forest (about 4,600 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 9,970 hectares (2.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 4.33 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 464,000 ha11% of it, about 4,600 km²
- Cleared for good
- 9,970 hadeforestation, 2.1% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201933,400 ha lost
Map
Where Austria has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Austria as satellites saw it from 2000 to 2025. Yellow and green were forest; red to white marks where it has been lost since 2001, and when.
- Forest cover in 2000
- 0%25%50%75%100%How much of the land was forest: dark purple had little or none, yellow was dense forest.
- Year the forest was lost
- 200120132025Where forest was cut down, burned or cleared since 2001: red for the early years, through orange, to white for the most recent. Solid where a fifth or more of a place's forest went, fainter where 8% or more did.
- Cities
- The capital (the larger dot) and the biggest cities, to help you find your way.
Year by year
Forest lost in Austria, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 23,600 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 24,200 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2019, when about 33,400 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 | 220 ha | 6,670 ha | 6,890 ha |
| 2002 | 289 ha | 10,600 ha | 10,800 ha |
| 2003 | 215 ha | 14,200 ha | 14,400 ha |
| 2004 | 389 ha | 14,000 ha | 14,400 ha |
| 2005 | 633 ha | 20,900 ha | 21,600 ha |
| 2006 | 361 ha | 12,200 ha | 12,500 ha |
| 2007 | 617 ha | 31,000 ha | 31,600 ha |
| 2008 | 502 ha | 26,300 ha | 26,800 ha |
| 2009 | 595 ha | 15,200 ha | 15,800 ha |
| 2010 | 547 ha | 16,100 ha | 16,700 ha |
| 2011 | 462 ha | 17,500 ha | 18,000 ha |
| 2012 | 400 ha | 10,700 ha | 11,100 ha |
| 2013 | 273 ha | 7,340 ha | 7,610 ha |
| 2014 | 306 ha | 9,530 ha | 9,840 ha |
| 2015 | 219 ha | 7,670 ha | 7,890 ha |
| 2016 | 453 ha | 16,700 ha | 17,100 ha |
| 2017 | 482 ha | 17,900 ha | 18,300 ha |
| 2018 | 430 ha | 25,700 ha | 26,200 ha |
| 2019 | 416 ha | 33,000 ha | 33,400 ha |
| 2020 | 350 ha | 25,400 ha | 25,800 ha |
| 2021 | 256 ha | 16,300 ha | 16,600 ha |
| 2022 | 288 ha | 19,500 ha | 19,800 ha |
| 2023 | 374 ha | 26,100 ha | 26,400 ha |
| 2024 | 412 ha | 27,000 ha | 27,400 ha |
| 2025 | 482 ha | 27,100 ha | 27,500 ha |
The satellite method improved in 2011, so compare recent years with each other rather than with the 2000s. Hover over or tap a year for its figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation in Austria?
- 2.1%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 97%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Logging95% · 443,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes1.8% · 8,500 ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Towns and roads1.5% · 6,760 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
Also, each under 1%: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, wildfires, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Is all forest loss deforestation?
No. When forest is cleared for farms, mines or towns, it is gone for good: that is deforestation. When it is logged or burned, it usually grows back. We count both as forest lost, but only the first as deforestation, so a country with a bad fire year isn't shown as clearing its forest for good.
Cities that lost the most forest around them
Forest lost within 10 km of each city centre since 2001.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Austria
How much forest has Austria lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Austria has lost about 464,000 hectares of forest (about 4,600 km²): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 9,970 hectares (2.1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Austria getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 23,600 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 24,200 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 in Austria?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (95%), storms, floods and other natural causes (1.8%), towns and roads (1.5%). About 9,970 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 in Austria?
The worst year was 2019, when about 33,400 hectares of forest 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 in Austria, 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.