Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Belgium
Since 2001, Belgium has lost about 126,000 hectares of forest (about 180,000 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 5,570 hectares (4.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 858,000 ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 126,000 ha15% of it, about 180,000 football pitches
- Cleared for good
- 5,570 hadeforestation, 4.4% of the loss
- Worst year
- 201010,800 ha lost
Map
Where Belgium has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Belgium 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 Belgium, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 6,370 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 4,790 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2010, when about 10,800 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 | 105 ha | 837 ha | 942 ha |
| 2002 | 153 ha | 2,160 ha | 2,310 ha |
| 2003 | 69 ha | 1,750 ha | 1,820 ha |
| 2004 | 160 ha | 4,480 ha | 4,640 ha |
| 2005 | 230 ha | 2,740 ha | 2,970 ha |
| 2006 | 262 ha | 6,600 ha | 6,860 ha |
| 2007 | 226 ha | 5,690 ha | 5,910 ha |
| 2008 | 210 ha | 6,710 ha | 6,920 ha |
| 2009 | 316 ha | 4,820 ha | 5,140 ha |
| 2010 | 410 ha | 10,400 ha | 10,800 ha |
| 2011 | 241 ha | 4,720 ha | 4,960 ha |
| 2012 | 188 ha | 5,390 ha | 5,580 ha |
| 2013 | 102 ha | 3,170 ha | 3,280 ha |
| 2014 | 135 ha | 4,050 ha | 4,190 ha |
| 2015 | 121 ha | 3,260 ha | 3,380 ha |
| 2016 | 228 ha | 4,150 ha | 4,380 ha |
| 2017 | 194 ha | 3,860 ha | 4,050 ha |
| 2018 | 262 ha | 4,360 ha | 4,620 ha |
| 2019 | 440 ha | 5,110 ha | 5,550 ha |
| 2020 | 317 ha | 5,050 ha | 5,370 ha |
| 2021 | 432 ha | 8,770 ha | 9,200 ha |
| 2022 | 216 ha | 4,590 ha | 4,810 ha |
| 2023 | 240 ha | 7,320 ha | 7,560 ha |
| 2024 | 201 ha | 5,820 ha | 6,020 ha |
| 2025 | 114 ha | 4,170 ha | 4,290 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 Belgium?
- 4.4%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 95%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- under 1%cause unknown
- Logging94% · 119,000 ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Towns and roads3.3% · 4,190 ha
Cleared for good. Forest replaced by houses, buildings and roads.
Also, each under 1%: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, wildfires, 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 Belgium
How much forest has Belgium lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Belgium has lost about 126,000 hectares of forest (about 180,000 football pitches): 15% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 5,570 hectares (4.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Belgium getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 6,370 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 4,790 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 Belgium?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are logging (94%), towns and roads (3.3%), farms, pasture and plantations (under 1%). About 5,570 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 Belgium?
The worst year was 2010, when about 10,800 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 Belgium, 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.