Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Belarus
Since 2001, Belarus has lost about 1.26 million hectares of forest (about 13,000 km²): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 16,800 hectares (1.3%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 9.12 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1.26 million ha14% of it, about 13,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 16,800 hadeforestation, 1.3% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201691,200 ha lost
Map
Where Belarus has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Belarus 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 Belarus, year by year
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 67,900 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 80,800 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 91,200 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 | 249 ha | 18,100 ha | 18,400 ha |
| 2002 | 219 ha | 25,300 ha | 25,500 ha |
| 2003 | 252 ha | 32,100 ha | 32,400 ha |
| 2004 | 308 ha | 38,400 ha | 38,700 ha |
| 2005 | 380 ha | 35,900 ha | 36,300 ha |
| 2006 | 551 ha | 41,800 ha | 42,400 ha |
| 2007 | 374 ha | 32,400 ha | 32,800 ha |
| 2008 | 418 ha | 35,400 ha | 35,900 ha |
| 2009 | 540 ha | 35,300 ha | 35,900 ha |
| 2010 | 1,010 ha | 34,800 ha | 35,900 ha |
| 2011 | 994 ha | 44,600 ha | 45,600 ha |
| 2012 | 740 ha | 39,000 ha | 39,700 ha |
| 2013 | 641 ha | 27,500 ha | 28,100 ha |
| 2014 | 731 ha | 32,900 ha | 33,600 ha |
| 2015 | 962 ha | 33,000 ha | 34,000 ha |
| 2016 | 1,660 ha | 89,500 ha | 91,200 ha |
| 2017 | 1,490 ha | 77,800 ha | 79,300 ha |
| 2018 | 1,340 ha | 86,800 ha | 88,100 ha |
| 2019 | 633 ha | 74,700 ha | 75,300 ha |
| 2020 | 687 ha | 69,300 ha | 70,000 ha |
| 2021 | 484 ha | 63,600 ha | 64,000 ha |
| 2022 | 442 ha | 64,800 ha | 65,200 ha |
| 2023 | 529 ha | 59,700 ha | 60,200 ha |
| 2024 | 487 ha | 70,700 ha | 71,100 ha |
| 2025 | 670 ha | 78,400 ha | 79,100 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 Belarus?
- 1.3%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 98%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Logging96% · 1.21 million ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Wildfires1.6% · 20,100 ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
Also, each under 1%: towns and roads, farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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 Belarus
How much forest has Belarus lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Belarus has lost about 1.26 million hectares of forest (about 13,000 km²): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 16,800 hectares (1.3%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Belarus getting worse?
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 67,900 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 80,800 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 Belarus?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (96%), wildfires (1.6%), towns and roads (under 1%). About 16,800 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 Belarus?
The worst year was 2016, when about 91,200 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 Belarus, 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.